


Crazy in Love

by T_Ninja



Series: For the Mission [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Action Hero Tropes!, Airplane Sex, Alternate Universe, Androids, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gambling, Humor!, Root loves Shaw, Sex Toys, Shaw loves food, Shenanigans, The boys are constantly being grossed out, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:58:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 54,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6255535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Ninja/pseuds/T_Ninja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And you can't um, fall in love with me," Shaw mumbled quickly under her breath.</p><p>Root sputtered on some air and coughed. "I'm sorry - ahem - what did you just say?"</p><p>"I said," Shaw growled out the words, "You. Can't. Fall. In. Love. With. Me. That clear enough for you?"<br/>----<br/>Basically: mystery, adventure, sexy times and hilarity.</p><p>Inspired by this YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXUfDcsUzS4</p><p>Shout out to Nesi23 for encouraging me to post this up, even though I was having doubts about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sameen Shaw sat in one of the waiting chairs outside of Harold Finch's office.  She let out an impatient growl as she glared at the office door, willing with her mind for it to open. She just wanted to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. 

"Damn you, Cole," she muttered under her breath. It was all his fault that she was even here. If he had only kept his stupid man feelings to himself, she wouldn't have had to find herself a new partner. Finding a new partner, however, was not as easy as it sounds. Sameen had high standards when considering a partner - and why the hell not? This was someone that she would have to spend the majority of her days with; someone she had to trust will have her back on a mission. It could very well be the difference between life and death. She wasn't going to just put her life in the incapable hands of some randomly assigned helper monkey.

  
Michael Cole was a good partner. They had been partners for a number of years, and there was always an effortlessness and ease in the way that they worked together. They understood each other.  Or at least she thought they did. Everything changed when Cole got caught with a bullet when one of their missions went pear-shaped. Yeah, maybe Shaw was a little impressed that he had jumped in front of the bullet for her, but then he had to open his big trap and confess his love for her as if he were on his death bed, ready to depart to the afterlife.  
  
"Always trying to be the hero, huh?"  Shaw joked, kneeling down to check where the bullet had hit.  
  
"Just yours," he replied sheepishly. He reached for her hand and started to stroke the back of it with his thumb.  Shaw's eyes widened as she yanked her hand back, leaving Cole's hand to land on the ground with a thud.  
  
"Oh, _HELL_ no!" she protested as she backed away from Cole, wiping the back of her hand on her black pants. "You are NOT about to say what I think you're about to say."  
  
"Come on, Shaw. Give us a chance. We work well together. We _get_ each other."  
  
"Nuh uh, Cole. You of all people should know that I don't do relationships. I don't fuck where I eat or eat where I fuck or whatever that saying is. I just eat. And I just fuck. Two separate occasions, not at all related to each other. In any way."  
  
"Uhh, I don't think that's how the saying goes, Shaw..."  
  
"Fuck the saying! I thought you understood, Cole. How many times have you heard me say it?"  
  
Cole's face fell. He pushed himself up off the ground to sit against the wall. "I just thought that we - you and I - would be different. When that bullet hit me, I thought I was going to die and that this would be my chance to let you know how I really feel. I was hoping that you would feel it too." He stared at the floor and wrung his hands nervously.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. He got shot in the goddamn _shoulder_ AND he was wearing a goddamn vest. This was not a life or death situation, and even if it was she would rather have died catching a bullet then having to listen to a - _ugh_ \- love confession.  
  
"Come on," she reached down and hoisted Cole up by his good arm. "Let's get you back to base." She let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to change things. Goddammit, Cole.  
  
\----  
  
Things had been awkward - VERY awkward - once Shaw and Cole were back in the field again. After being effectively friendzoned, Cole had taken to stealing glances at Shaw on their missions, looking like a kicked puppy.  Shaw, in turn, became increasingly grumpier during their missions. Oh, she’d  noticed the sad puppy dog eyes that Cole thew her way when he thought she wasn't looking. But she is Sameen Shaw, and Sameen Shaw sees everything. At this point she'd rather take an actual puppy on a mission with her than this sad clump of man that Cole had turned into. After nearly losing a number on their latest mission because Cole had forgotten to set the cameras up properly in his love sickened state, Shaw decided that she had to leave the Relevant branch of Team Machine. She put in a transfer request with Control later that day.  
  
"Are you sure you want to transfer, Agent Shaw?  It will be difficult for us to find someone to replace an agent of your caliber."  
  
"I don't think I have any other choice, Ma'am," Shaw answered solemnly.  
  
"Very well, then. I spoke to Harold Finch; he has an opening for you on the Irrelevant side. He's seen your files and asked that I give you his contact information." Control handed Shaw a card with Harold's information.  
  
"Thank you, Ma'am." Shaw took the proffered card and turned to leave.  
  
"Agent Shaw."

Shaw looked back as she heard her name called.

"It has been a thrill watching you work." 

Shaw nodded her thanks as she turned and walked out the door.  
  
\----  
  
The door to Harold's office opened. "Finally!" Shaw muttered under her breath as she stood up from the waiting chair.  
  
"Ms. Shaw, I presume? Please come on in." Harold stepped to the side to let her in.  His office was quite different from Control's office. Control's office had windows that let in natural light and all of her furnishings were minimalist and modern. Harold's office felt more like a cave; there was no natural light - being that his office was tucked away in the basement - and the shelves of books lining the walls of his office gave the room a library feel. Shaw decided she preferred the cavey aspect of Harold's office. No windows equals no chance of being sniped during briefings.  
  
"Please have a seat, Ms. Shaw," Harold gestured towards the chair across from his desk. Shaw nodded at the chair, but remained standing. She looked around the office and took in the shelves of books and monitors lined up on Harold's desk. She also noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was a board with photos of various individuals tacked onto it.  
  
"What brings you here, Ms. Shaw?" Harold's voice brought her attention back to him.  
  
"I assumed you wanted me to find you.  Why else would you have given me your number?"  
  
Harold nodded. "I have seen your files, Ms. Shaw, and I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. Your medical experience coupled with your time in the military and most recently your experience working for our Relevant branch has made you a very valuable asset indeed." He paused and shuffled some papers on his desk before continuing. "I have an opening on the Irrelevant side that I would very much like for you to consider. I believe that you would be a very fitting addition to our team should you accept."  
  
"I'm in," Shaw answered with a tap of her palm on Harold's desk. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go." 

Harold pressed his lips into a thin line. "You will, of course, need to find a partner," he started. "We don't run solo missions here on the Irrelevant side."  
  
"Pity," Shaw said sarcastically, "just when I thought things were starting to look up."  
  
When Harold showed no reaction to her comment, Shaw rolled her eyes and continued. "Look, Finch-" Harold's eyebrows raised microscopically at the casual use of his last name- "I've been trying to look for a good partner to replace the one I had. No one's been up to my standards so far. They've all been incompetent. I've even heard that there are some candidates who don't _want_ to work with me." She let out a sigh. "Something about being grumpy and likely to shoot first and ask questions later," she mumbled.  
  
Harold nodded. "Yes, I've been told that you have a tendency to be...over eager with a trigger. Perhaps it would do you some good to find a hobby. It's been proven that hobbies can help with aggression issues."

Shaw shot him a deadly glare.

"Of course, I'm not saying that you have aggression-er-issues," he quickly added.  
  
"You think I need a hobby, Harold?  I just need a competent partner. Simple as that."  
  
Harold got up from behind his desk and walked over to the board that Shaw had noticed earlier. "Follow me, Ms. Shaw, I have something to show you."  
  
Shaw followed Finch to the board noticing for the first time that the man walked with a limp. She decided not to ask him about it for now.  
  
"This," Harold gestured to the board, "is a compilation of the candidates that I think may be a suitable new partner for you. They have all been chosen by an algorithm based on compatibility with you."  
  
"So you let a computer pick my next partner?" Shaw asked incredulously.  
  
"No, Ms. Shaw, _you_ will ultimately be picking you own partner. The algorithm simply narrowed down the choices based on your known preferences."  
  
Shaw shook her head disbelievingly "I don't even wanna know how you know what my preferences are."  
  
"You'd be surprised what kind of information The Machine can get access to," Harold answered. "All of this information is being used in a responsible manner, of course."  
  
"Of course," Shaw muttered sarcastically.  She looked at the five candidates on the boards and read the brief profile of each candidate below their pictures. One picture caught her eye immediately. "Tell me about her," she gestured with her chin to the picture of an attractive brunette.  
  
"Samantha Groves, alias Root. Skilled Hacker and former mercenary."

Shaw's ears perked up at the word.

"What's your interest?" Harold asked, noticing Shaw's sudden curiosity.  
  
Shaw reach out to the board and pulled off Root's profile summary from under its pin. Her eyes skimmed the paper as words like 'Torture,' 'Violence,' and 'Psychopathy' jumped out at her. "I think I found my other half," She smirked at Harold.  
  
Finch's eyes widened as he considered the dynamics of this potential pairing. "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised with your choice, Ms. Shaw. Are you sure you won't take anyone else into consideration as well?"  
  
Shaw briefly glimpsed at the remaining four candidates. Sure, they all sounded impressive on paper - a former doctor, a reformed jewel thief, a former UN investigator - but they were all missing that certain edge that she was looking for. That edge that was staring right back at her from Root's photo.  
  
"I'm positive," she answered determinedly.  
  
"Very well, Ms. Shaw."

Harold reached into his pocket and produced a slip of paper. He handed the slip to Shaw and she read the address back to herself: Manhattan. The Suffolk Hotel. Room 1458 at 5pm tomorrow.


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw meet for the first time.

Shaw arrived at the hotel lobby at exactly 4:45pm. She walked to the elevator bank and pressed the call button. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped inside and pressed the button for the fourteenth floor.  
  
As she ascended to her destination, Shaw mentally recalled the information she had gathered on her prospective new partner.  
  
Samantha Groves was born and raised in a small town in Texas called Bishop. Not much is known about her after she moved away from the town; it seemed like someone had hacked into all of her records and scrubbed away any trace of her life past age 12.

The files on Root, however, were what really caught Shaw's interest. After working as a contract killer for several years, Root was eventually recruited by the agency and had since then operated out of base, assisting Harold with the groundwork.  
  
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to the fourteenth floor. Shaw stepped out into the hallway and started searching the room numbers. When she found room 1458, she knocked on the door and waited. She heard muffled sounds coming from inside the room followed by the distinct click of a closing door. Shaw heard footsteps approaching from inside the room and readied herself to meet her mysterious new partner. The door pulled opened, and instead of looking into the mischievous eyes from the photo in Harold's office, Shaw found herself staring instead at the delicate lines of collarbones sitting below a long, slender neck. Missed the eye level by a couple of inches.  
  
_Crap, she's taller than I expected,_ Shaw thought to herself as her eyes snapped up to meet golden brown irises.  
  
_Shit, she's hotter than I expected,_ Root thought to herself when she opened the door and saw Shaw staring at her...chest? A little smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth before she schooled her face back into a neutral expression just as Shaw's eyes flitted up to meet her own.  
  
"You're Sam, right?" Root greeted as she stepped to the side to let Shaw in. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you for another ten minutes."  
  
Shaw shrugged. "I like to be early. And you can call me Shaw."

She stepped inside the room and did a cursory sweep with her eyes. Ugh. Wide, floor-length, drapeless windows. That's an invitation to be sniped.  
  
"So," Shaw started, "Tell me about yourself. I figure if we're going to be partners, I'm gonna need a little bit of background info. I've read your file but there's really not a lot to find out. Looks like you've done a pretty good job making sure of that."  
  
Root grinned. "I aim to please." She closed the door behind her and stepped into the room after Shaw.

"I've done a bit of research myself. I read your file, and I must say I'm a big fan, Sameen."

Shaw stiffened at the use of her given name. _How did she- oh, right. Machine knows all and sees all. Root must have gotten her information from Finch._ Shaw scoffed internally. _Information is being used responsibly - my ass_ , she thought.  
  
"There's really not much to know about me." Root started. "I prefer the company of computers to humans, I'm a reformed killer for hire, and I'm good with guns. In fact, I do my best work when handling two guns."  
  
"Two guns? That's kinda lame."  
  
"Oh, and - worth mentioning - I _might_ have a direct line to the Machine."  
  
Shaw paused. "What do you mean 'direct line?' The Machine talks to you? Does it talk to anyone else?"  
  
Root shook her head. "I am her Analog Interface. She communicates with me through my earpiece."  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. Figures she'd get stuck partnered up with the Machine's errand girl.  
  
Shaw walked further into the room and took off her jacket. Root's eyes widened minutely as she tried not to look directly at the toned chest muscles she could see peeking up over the top of Shaw's shirt, beneath her hoodie.  
  
"So, you spoke to Finch?" Shaw asked. "I do need to know what he talked to you about. Has he briefed you on how I operate on missions? I need someone efficient and clear headed. I don't tolerate incompetence. If you endanger the mission, you're out."  
  
Root smirked. "He's mentioned a few things. Anything else?"  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes at herself. She can't believe the next words that she's about to say, but she needs to get them out of the way.  
  
"And you can't um, fall in love with me," Shaw mumbled quickly under her breath.  
  
Root sputtered on some air and coughed. "I'm sorry - ahem - what did you just say?"  _Well that was unexpected_.  
  
"I _said_ ," Shaw growled out the words "You. Can't. Fall. In. Love. With. Me. That clear enough for you?"  
  
Root guffawed and then quickly composed herself when she saw that Shaw was serious.  
  
"Uh, okay. Got it. No falling in love with you. Right. Not that I don't appreciate the heads up, but I thought this would be more of a second or third date kind of conversation."  
  
Shaw growled. "Look, Root. This may seem like a joke to you, but I'm serious. We're going to be working closely together, and sometimes people develop - ugh - feelings when they work closely with one another. Well, screw feelings! I'm a sociopath; I don't have feelings. Feelings cloud your judgement. Feelings compromise the mission. My last partner confessed his feelings and that almost got him shot. By me. Let me make one thing clear: I don't do relationships, especially with people I work with. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don't want a repeat of my last situation. Got it?"  
  
Root grinned. It was adorable how flustered Shaw was getting.

"Loud and clear, Agent Shaw," she teased.  
  
A faint clanging sound drew Shaw's attention to the ensuite bathroom. She turned to Root and nodded towards the bathroom door. "What's going on in there?"  
  
Root followed Shaw's line of sight and lifted her shoulders in an innocent shrug. "Oh, that? Wilson in there was just in the middle of telling me who paid him off to take out one of our recent numbers. Our conversation was cut a bit short with your early arrival. I hope you don't mind, but now that he's conscious, maybe a little one-on-one with my taser will get him to spill."  
  
Shaw snickered. "Always preferred the hot iron myself - less chance of 'em pissing themselves. Reduces the cleanup work."  
  
Root turned her face back towards Shaw with a grin. "Oh, Sameen. We're gonna be so good at this good together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a slow build up but the chapters will get more interesting, I promise.


	3. Masquerade Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw work their first undercover mission together.

It turned out that Wilson's intel was actually pretty useful. After a few more hours of 'convincing,' he let it spill that a mysterious individual known only as 'Fortran' had contacted Wilson and his goons to put a hit on their number. Before leaving him in the hotel room to be discovered, Root was able to extract from him that there was another hit put out on a multimillionaire software magnate, Claire Sanderson; a fact that was confirmed by the Machine.  
  
\----  
  
Finch stood up from his desk to greet Root and Shaw as they stepped into his office. "Ms. Shaw, Ms. Groves. I trust your first meeting went well?"  
  
"Oh, it went better than expected, Harry," Root cooed. "I think we're a match made in heaven." She beamed in Shaw's direction.  
  
"That's exactly what I was afraid of." Harold murmured.  
  
"What was that, Harry?"  
  
"Oh, uh nothing. I said that's what dreams are made of. Nevertheless, I have asked Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco to assist us with our next number based on the information that you have...procured from Mr. Wilson."  
  
"Ah, good old Lurch. This should be fun," Root remarked.

As if on cue, the door to Harold's office opened and in stepped John Reese and Lionel Fusco. Shaw had worked with John before when he used to run missions for the Relevant side. She respected his skills and his training background and they had always gotten along. Detective Lionel Fusco of the NYPD was an ally of the agency and frequently assisted with Irrelevant missions. Shaw had seen him around the base here and there, but this would be her first time working with the detective.  
  
"Harold; Root," Reese greeted in his trademark gravelly voice as he nodded at them. "Shaw, good to see that you joined the Irrelevant side. I think you'll like the way we do things here."  
  
Fusco reached out his had to Shaw for a handshake "Detective Lionel Fusco. Good to officially meet ya."

Shaw glanced at what looked to be the remnants of a jelly donut still smeared on the back of his hand and decided against the handshake. She gave him a nod instead.

"Shaw. Look forward to working with you, Lionel. You, uh, still got some donut jelly on your hand there."  
  
Fusco looked down at his hand, "Ah, thanks." He brought his hand up to his mouth and licked off the rest of the jelly. "Yo, Banana Nut Crunch. Finally getting out in the field, hey? About time you interacted with humans other than Glasses over there."  
  
Root scrunched up her nose at Fusco. "Pleasure to see you too, Lionel. I've just never found a worthwhile partner to go out on the field with. But that's all changed now." Root shot Shaw a wink. But not an actual wink. More like a blink with one eye closing slightly faster than the other.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. "Alright boys. What've we got?"  
  
Harold taped a photo of their current number up on the board by his desk. "Claire Sanderson, age 37. A self-made multimillionaire who came into money when she developed a hugely popular 'virtual assistant' software that allows busy CEOs everywhere to organize and attend meetings from anywhere around the globe using state-of-the-art technology. She is due to unveil her newest development at a masquerade gala tomorrow evening. Invitees include all the biggest names in the tech industry."  
  
Shaw stepped closer to the board to get a better look at the photo. Claire Sanderson was an attractive woman: Pale skin, delicate features, wavy brown hair and light brown eyes. Come to think of it, she bears a close resemblance to-  
  
"Root," Reese called towards the hacker, "The number kind of looks like you."  
  
Fusco bumbled over to the board for a closer look. "Yeah, she kinda does! Looks like Nutella over here has a mega-rich doppelgänger."  
  
"Precisely." Harold confirmed. "Our plan tomorrow evening is to attend the masquerade and position Ms. Groves to take Ms. Sanderson's place as a decoy. Ms. Groves and Ms. Shaw will then neutralize the threat while Mr. Reese takes our number to safety. Detective Fusco will then arrive on the scene to apprehend the assailants."  
  
"Okay, so how're we gonna gain access to this masquerade without arousing suspicion?" Shaw inquired.  
  
"That part has already been taken care of, Ms. Shaw. I've managed to obtain invitations to the event for both you and Ms. Groves. You will be attending as Carmen Reed, a journalist for Spark Magazine covering the event. Ms. Groves will attend as your photographer Veronica Sinclair. Once inside the venue, Ms. Groves will disguise herself in an outfit identical to that of our number. Ms. Shaw, you will then cause a diversion to temporarily detract attention from Ms. Sanderson while Ms. Groves takes her place. It is absolutely vital that you get our number to the meeting point to make the switch."  
  
Shaw nodded. "Sounds straightforward enough. More importantly, what're they serving for food at this thing?"  
  
"I thought you might ask," said Harold. "Ms. Sanderson has arranged for a world-renowned chef to be flown in from Japan to prepare food for this event. His specialty, I hear, is Kobe beef."  
  
Shaw grinned. "Sounds like my kinda party."  
  
"There is one more point to note," Harold continued, "as this is a formal event, all attendees are required to dress accordingly. The Machine has arranged evening gowns for both of you - tailored to your measurements, of course."  
  
Shaw groaned. Dresses were tolerable, but not while on a mission. They were hugely impractical and would definitely slow you down if you needed to run or jump.  
  
"Think you can handle wearing a dress, Shaw?" Reese teased with a smirk.  
  
"Think your jaw can handle my fist, Reese?" She shot back at him.  
  
Harold raised his eyebrows in alarm. "Perhaps it would be wise for us to start preparations for our operation tomorrow night. Thank you all for attending. We will reconvene tomorrow."  
  
\----  
  
Shaw fidgeted uncomfortably with her dress and groaned. "They never had me wearing dresses when I worked on the Relevant numbers," she grumbled.  
  
"Oh, cheer up, Sameen."

Shaw could hear the click of Root's heels on the hardwood floor of Harold's office as she approached from behind.

"At least you get to eat your fill of steak. Besides, I bet you can make anything look good."  
  
Shaw turned around, ready with a snide remark, but it got caught in her throat as she took sight of the hacker standing before her.  
  
Root was wearing a deep red evening dress that hugged her slender frame in just the right places. The dress had a v-cut neckline that ended mid-sternum, showing off just the right amount of cleavage and accenting the sharp angles of her clavicles. Shaw licked her lips unconsciously. She could cut her tongue on those clavicles. Root's hair was pulled into an upsweep, revealing smooth flesh in the backless dress.  
  
"Ms. Shaw...Ms. Shaw - is there something wrong?" Harold's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Wha? Uh, yeah. I was just uh, thinking about the steak that I'm gonna be eating tonight. It wasn't easy, but I skipped lunch to make room for all that delicious expensive food."  
  
_Good recovery, Shaw,_  she silently congratulated herself.  
  
_Holy shit, she looks phenomenal!_  Root thought to herself as she felt her face grow hot. _Get yourself together, Root, she's totally going to see you drooling._  She tried not to show how floored she is by the sight of Shaw when the shorter woman turned around.  
  
Shaw's black evening dress was form fitting, clinging to her curves. It was a halter-cut, showing off her toned arms. Dark, wavy locks tumbled down over her shoulders. Root had never seen anything so beautiful.

 _Oh man, I am so screwed,_  she thought.  
  
"What are your thoughts, Ms. Groves?" Harold's question brought her back to reality.  
  
"Huh, what was that, Harry? I'm sorry, the Machine was speaking in my ear so I didn't catch what you just said."  
  
"I see," Harold nodded.  
  
_Nailed it!_  Root thought and gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for the quick recovery.  
  
Harold looked slightly worried, not sure if it was a good idea that these two were partnered up together. "We were discussing the possibility of using Dressing Room A as the drop site for the switch. It's the room closest to the electrical panel. After cutting off the power to the ballroom, Ms. Shaw will escort Ms. Sanderson to the meeting room where you will be waiting. Did the Machine have any input on our plan?"  
  
"She thinks it's fine, Harry."  
  
_Fine. Like Shaw's ass in that dress. Ah, crap. Be cool, Root. Get a hold of yourself, she's looking this way._  
  
"Earth to Root?" Shaw waved a hand in front of her face. "Is the Machine talking to you again? You kind of have that faraway look on your face right now."  
  
"No. I mean, yes, she is. She says everything is in place and the mission is a go."  
  
"Perfect," Shaw grinned. "Bring on the steaks."  
  
\----  
  
"Oh my _GOD_." Shaw moaned. "Root, you gotta taste this Kobe. It's like an orgasm in your mouth."  
  
" _I'd_ like to orgasm in your mou-"  
  
"Ms. Groves! I implore you not to finish that sentence!" Harold's panicked voice rang through the comms.  
  
Root clicked her tongue. "Boys ruin all the fun."  
  
"Suh whnnree cmfmmfh hnh lghhf?" Shaw mumbled around a mouthful of beef.

Root watched Shaw with adoring eyes as she continued to shovel food into her mouth.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms. Shaw, the comms seem to be malfunctioning. I can barely make out what you're saying. Give me a minute, I'll take a look at what might be causing the malfunction."  
  
"Our comms are fine, Harry. Sameen's just enjoying some of the world-renowned food at the moment."  
  
Shaw grabbed a flute of champagne from a tray whizzing by. She washed down the food with a healthy gulp.  
  
"I said, so when're we gonna cut the lights?"  
  
"Mr. Reese is on his way right now. Once he gives the signal, Ms. Groves - you will change into your disguise and meet Ms. Shaw in Dressing Room A. Ms. Shaw - do you have eyes on our number?"  
  
"I see her. She's kinda hard to miss, even with everyone wearing masks."  
  
Claire Sanderson wore a white, one shouldered gown with delicate chiffon ruffles running down the length of the dress. Her hair fell down in waves, brushing along bare shoulders. She wore very little jewelry, just a simple diamond ring on the right index finger of her French-tipped hand.  
  
"Try not to show too much enthusiasm, Shaw," Reese remarked through the comms. "We don't want you spooking her before we can make the switch. I'm in position - you guys good to go?"  
  
"Just making my way there right now, John," Root confirmed. "This mask that Claire chose to wear tonight may be aesthetically appealing, but it doesn't provide much visibility. I'm impressed that she's been able to keep it on for so long without ripping it off in frustration."  
  
"I'll head over to our girl and chat her up," Shaw said as she made her way through the sea of tuxedos and evening gowns on her way to the number. "Give me five minutes and then I'll cut the lights."  
  
Shaw approached Claire just as the attractive brunette was ending a conversation with a few guests.  
  
"This is a very impressive event," Shaw remarked as she flashed her most charming smile at the woman. "One of the best I've ever been to. The food is to die for."  
  
Claire turned to look at Shaw and returned Shaw's smile with one of her own. "I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself; I wanted the best for my guests. Tonight is a very important night for me and I wanted everything to be just right." She had a charming accent that Shaw found intriguing.  
  
"You have a beautiful accent." Shaw commented. "Reminds me of the accents I would hear in London when I was there a couple years ago for a missi- uh when I was there as a tourist."  
  
"Careful, Shaw," Reese teased. "Don't be getting all tongue-tied around her now. We still have a mission to complete."  
  
Shaw clenched her teeth at the jab.  
  
Claire blushed slightly at the compliment. "I was born in London and spent most of my childhood there. I moved to New York in my late twenties to pursue bigger career opportunities. I guess the accent still lingers, though it's not as strong as it used to be." She paused and studied Shaw. "I don't believe we've met before." She reached out to shake Shaw's hand. "I'm Claire."  
  
Shaw took the proffered hand in hers. "Carmen. Carmen Reed. I'm a journalist with Spark Magazine. I gotta say, Claire, we're very excited to see what you have to contribute to the tech world." 

Their hands lingered mid-shake for a bit before Shaw drew her hand back.  
  
Claire raised an eyebrow. "I'm very proud of our new project. I'm hoping that it will change the way we see technology today. Perhaps after the unveiling I can give you an interview - over some drinks?"  
  
"Subtle," Root murmured over the comms.  
  
"Jealous, Root?" Reese prodded.  
  
"What? No! I'm just remarking on her utter lack of game. I would have been a lot smoother."  
  
"Well she succeeded in getting Shaw all flustered-"  
  
"Shut. Up." Shaw growled through gritted teeth."  
  
"Hmm?" Claire inquired.  
  
"Uh, I said I'd love to," Shaw answered quickly. "You know what? I just realized that I can't find my photographer. Let me go get her right now. You don't mind if we take a picture of you for our article, do you?"  
  
"Of course not. I'll be right here waiting."  
  
"Great." Shaw smiled at Claire and strode off towards the electrical panel.

"On my way to the panel," she reported "You guys ready to roll?"  
  
"Ready."  
  
"Ready."  
  
Shaw reached the electrical panel in the back of the room and attached the short-circuit device that Harold designed to the face of the panel.  
  
"Ok, we're on in 3...2...1."  
  
The chatter came to a halt as the room descended into darkness. Shaw started making her way back towards Claire when the distinct sound of gunfire sounded throughout the ballroom. The panicked screaming started shortly afterwards. Shaw could tell from the sounds of the gunshots that they were warning shots fired purposely into the ceiling to cause panic. In her hurry to get to the number, Shaw ran shoulder first into one of the party guests, the collision knocking her earpiece out and onto the floor. She didn't have time to stop and look for it, but thankfully she had a spare hidden in the cleavage of her dress. She decided to put in the backup earpiece later, opting instead to get to Claire first before the perps did. Reese and Root will have to fly blind without her for a few minutes.  
  
She finally made her way back to Claire and pulled on the brunette's elbow to get her to follow. "Shhhhh. There's someone out to get you. Follow me. Stay quiet. I'll get you to safety." 

Claire nodded and followed Shaw, stumbling a bit in the darkness as they made their way toward the dressing rooms. As they approached the door to Dressing Room A, Claire pulled her arm back from Shaw's grip and took a step back. She raised her hands to her face to take off the mask covering the upper half of her face, but Shaw couldn't risk standing in the hall, lest they are exposed to danger. They needed to stay out of the enemy's way and get to the switch point as soon as possible so that Root step in as the decoy.  
  
In a last ditch attempt to get Claire to hurry up into the meeting point, Shaw grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled her into a kiss. Claire's lips were soft and warm against hers and Shaw kind of lost herself a bit, enjoying the kiss more than she thought she would. Lips still connected, she shoved Claire against the dressing room door and fumbled for the doorknob with one hand with other hand still grasping the taller woman's shoulder. Looks like Root's going to get quite the surprise when she sees Shaw and Claire stumbling into the room with their lips locked like a pair of teenagers.  
  
As the door opened, Shaw felt Claire's tongue flit across the seam of her lips and groaned as she opened up her mouth to her. Eh, what the hell. It's for the mission. Besides, Claire was hot.  
  
Once they stumbled into the room, Claire began to take more control of the kiss and shoved Shaw back against the door, effectively shutting it. Her fingers scratched lines down Shaw's arms from her shoulders to her forearms, causing a pleasant tingling sensation to shoot through the smaller woman.  
  
Shaw moaned a little as the tingling in her arms gave way to a pool of heat forming in her lower abdomen. She vaguely noted that Root hasn't arrived yet. She'll probably be getting here any minute; better make the most of it. Shaw darted her tongue into Claire's mouth to taste her. Claire tasted faintly like apples. Shaw decided that she liked the taste of apples. Shaw pushed off the door and pulled Claire with her towards the sofa on the other side of the dressing room. As they continued to kiss, their masks scraped irritatingly against each other. They fell onto the sofa, with Claire landing on top of Shaw and straddling her lap. Shaw pulled away briefly to take her mask off and Claire sat back on her heels to do the same, her black tipped fingers pulling off the offending accessory.  
  
...wait. BLACK fingernails? Realization dawned on Shaw as the mask fell away and She found herself staring at Root's face instead of Claire's.  
  
"Root?!?? What the?!? How did you-" Shaw sputtered on her words.  
  
Root smirked at her, still breathing a little heavy. "We found Claire right after we heard the gunshots and made the switch while you were on your way back from the panel. John confirmed to the team through comms that our number was safe with him, but it looks like you didn't have your earpiece in. I tried to tell you when you found me, Sameen, but my lips were...occupied at the moment." Root slid her hand down Shaw's chest and plucked out the backup earpiece under the fabric of her dress, handing it to Shaw. Shaw grabbed the earpiece from Root and angrily shoved it in her ear.  
  
"Finch, what about the perps? Are they still coming for her?"  
  
"Our cameras show that they are on their way to you right now." Harold reported.  
  
Shaw started to reach for the USP Compact in her thigh holster, but something was in the way.  
  
"Root."  
  
"Hmmmm?"  
  
"Get. Off. Me."  
  
"Only if you ask nicel-"  
  
Root landed on the ground with a thud when Shaw shoved her unceremoniously off her lap.  
  
The three perps who busted through the doors just then were abruptly stopped in their tracks when Root expertly shot them all in the kneecaps with the two guns that she pulled out from beneath her dress. Shaw raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Okay, that was kinda hot."  
  
Root 'winked' at her and Shaw rolled her eyes.

Fusco burst through the open door with his gun held up, ready to fire. He looked around the room. "Jesus, what the hell happened here? Did you two get into a big scuffle with these bozos? You look all...disheveled."  
  
"We're fine, Lionel. Thanks for asking. Actually, we're _more_ than fine," Root answered, a teasing lilt in her voice.  
  
"Shut up, Root." Shaw turned to Fusco. "Are we good here? I just want to get out of this dress and back into my regular clothes."  
  
"I'd be happy to help you get out of that dress-"  
  
"Root, NO. Also - what the hell?!? I still can't believe you tricked me into kissing you."

"Feel free to get me back, Sameen.  I'm ready whenever you are."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I am SO bad at describing clothing - especially fancy dresses - so I hope this came off okay. I had to spend countless minutes looking up fashion blogs to figure out what kind of descriptors to use. It's like a foreign language.


	4. Trouble in Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw go on an undercover mission at a couples only resort.

Ever since the masquerade mission, Root has ramped up the flirt factor by 500%, slipping in an innuendo every chance she got. Shaw tolerated the flirting for the most part, answering either with an eye roll or an exasperated head shake. She really should get some kind of medal for the sexual harassment she's had to endure.  
  
As Shaw arrived at Harold's office to be briefed on their next mission, she was greeted with the sight of Harold and Root hovering over the monitor and in deep discussion.  
  
Root looked up when she heard Shaw's footsteps approaching and shot her an adoring grin. "Hey sweetie, looks like we're going to be traveling for our next mission. I hope you like sunshine and beaches, because we're going to the Caribbean. The Machine has already arranged for our plane tickets and hotel."  
  
Harold stood up from his seat and walked around his desk towards Shaw. "Ms. Shaw, because this mission is on a bit of short notice, the Machine has arranged to have suitcases packed for you and Ms. Groves for your travel. I will quickly brief you on the details of the case and then you'll be on your way."  
  
Shaw nodded. "Sounds good, Finch. It'll be nice to get away from winter in New York for a couple of days."  
  
"Indeed." Harold agreed. He walked over to the board by his desk. "Our number is Mr. Alexander Vanderbilt, a successful software tycoon. We believe that he is also being targeted by Fortran." Harold taped up a photo of the number to the board. "Mr. Vanderbilt is traveling with his new bride to Montego Bay in Jamaica for their honeymoon. They will be staying at the Sandals resort there. The Machine has arranged for your hotel suite to be adjacent to theirs so that you can keep a lookout for any suspicious activity."  
  
"Sandals resort," Shaw muses. "Isn't that one of those couples only type of places?"  
  
"It sure is," Root chimed in. "We'll be going undercover as a couple looking to revitalize our relationship because one of us is grumpy all the time and no longer has the time to indulge in fun 'activities' with her partner."  
  
Shaw turned to Harold with an incredulous look. "The Machine gave us this silly ass cover story?"  
  
Harold shot Root a reprimanding look. "The Machine did not provide this backstory, Ms. Shaw. While you _are_  posing as a couple for this mission, the details of your background story are entirely up to your discretion. I would only suggest that you work out the details of your stories - preferably  _before_ you arrive at the resort."  
  
Shaw turned back to glare at Root, who shrugged it off playfully. "I figured that wouldn't be too much of a stretch. You do have that adorable grumpy look on your face all the time, Shaw."  
  
Harold cleared his throat. "Your suitcases have already been checked in at the airport." He handed Root and Shaw a Manila envelope each. "These are your cover identities. They are the same as the ones used for your masquerade mission with Ms. Sanderson."  
  
Shaw's ears reddened a bit at the mention of the masquerade night. Thankfully, Root was too busy looking at the contents of her envelope to notice.

"And what about weapons?" Shaw asked.  
  
"There will be an assortment of firearms packed in one of your suitcases. The Machine has ensured that your luggage will go through security successfully. I don't suspect that you will need much to complete this mission, but Ms. Groves has somehow convinced the Machine to arrange for an excessive amount of weapons to be shipped."  
  
"One must always accessorize, Harry," Root chided. "Besides, I had a carry-on filled with an assortment of _other_ toys until you so adamantly objected."  
  
Harold's face turned beet red and he decided not to linger on the subject. "Well - now that everything is in order, I believe you have a plane to catch. I will be in constant contact and Mr. Reese is on standby to depart at any moment to provide backup should you need it. I trust that won't be necessary as it appears to be a rather straightforward mission."  
  
"Now where's the fun in that, Finch?" Shaw teased.  
  
Harold groaned. These two teaming up will definitely be the end of him.  
  
\----  
  
Aside from the obvious quips from Root about joining the mile high club, the flight to Montego Bay was rather uneventful. Shaw received a few judgmental looks here and there from the other passengers when they saw the pile of mini liquor bottles racked up in front of her, but all it took was a death glare or two for them to go back to minding their own business.  
  
The journey from the airport to the resort was equally uneventful, but it had been a long day of traveling and Shaw was ready to wash the grime away with a shower and start the recon work. They got to the hotel suite and found that it was surprisingly luxurious. The door led into a living space with couches and a coffee table. Behind the living room area was a dining table, situated next to a large window. There was a doorway leading from the living area to the master bedroom where they found a massive king size bed. The french doors in the bedroom led out to a patio where there was a jacuzzi, and a view overlooking the ocean. 

Root found a bowl of apples on the dining table and started munching on one. While she was checking out the living room area, Shaw hoisted the suitcases onto the bed and started stripping for a shower.  
  
"You sure you don't want me to join you in there?" Root teased, sauntering in. "Looks like there's plenty of room for one more person."  
  
"No, Root. Just because we're undercover as a couple doesn't mean that you can leer at me all you want. I can see you perving out on me when I'm not looking, you know."  
  
"How would you know if you're not looking?" Root quipped. A mischievous smile crossed her face. "Sameen! Do you look at me when you think _I'm_ not looking? That's so sweet!"  
  
"I... What? No!" Shaw sputtered. "I'm going to go take a shower now. Don't follow me unless you want to get yourself shot."  
  
"Sounds like a risk I might be willing to take..." Root's comment was answered with a slam of the bathroom door.  
  
\----  
  
"ROOT! What. The actual. Fuck?!" Root could hear Shaw yelling from the bathroom. The fury on Shaw's face was evident in her voice.  
  
"What is it, sweetie?" Stretched languidly across the bed, Root blinked up at Shaw with innocent eyes as the shorter woman stomped towards her from the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around her torso.  
  
"Don't play games with me," Shaw growled, "what does your Machine have to say about _this_?" She dangled some sort of black fabric in front of Root's face.  
  
Root smirked. "We're at a beach resort, Shaw. You can't expect us to be walking around in leather jackets and black jeans all the time. The Machine correctly deduced that we would need to be dressed up properly for this mission, and that involves wearing bathing suits. Honestly, Sameen, I don't see what the big deal is."  
  
"The big deal," Shaw forced out through gritted teeth, "is that this is not a bathing suit. It's fucking dental floss."  
  
"Oh, come on. I think you're being a bit dramatic," Root teased. "Weren't you just complaining about the restrictive nature of dresses not too long ago? Imagine all the running and jumping you could do now. In fact, I wouldn't mind a demonstration if you're up for it." The skimpy bikini hit Root square in the face as Shaw stomped away grumbling under her breath.  
  
\----

  
After changing, they tracked their number to the outdoor bar by the pool. Alexander Vanderbilt was chatting with his wife over drinks, both of them blissfully unaware of the potential danger possibly lurking around the corner.  
  
"Okay, Shaw. The plan is to chat up Alexander and his wife, switch out one of their room keys with one of ours and then get inside their suite to plant the bugs - ten minutes, tops. We'll bump into them again after we've planted the bugs and switch back the room keys," Root explained. "Now, I just need you to work on not looking like you're about to shoot someone. It might scare off our number before we even get close enough."  
  
"This g-string bikini sucks assballs," Shaw grumbled, looking extremely uncomfortable in the getup that did very little to obscure her asscheeks. "You should tell your AI buddy that it sucks at picking out clothes."  
  
"I guess She could stand to learn a few things," Root agreed, "the original outfits that She choose for you were way too modest - boring shorts and tank tops -  which is why I suggested that she go with what you're wearing now."  
  
"Wait...what!?" Shaw whipped her head around to glare at Root, but the hacker had already slipped away and was heading towards the number and his wife.  Shaw half-sprinted to catch up to Root and grabbed her by the elbow. "You. _You_ were responsible for this..this...whatever the hell this is that I'm wearing?!?"  
  
"I merely made suggestions to the Machine," Root answered innocently.  
  
"That explains why I'm stuck wearing goddamn spaghetti noodles for clothes and you get to walk around in your sensible sundress." Shaw griped.  
  
Root tried not to laugh as Shaw practically ripped a towel from the hands of the poor towel boy standing nearby and awkwardly tried to cover up her lower half.  
  
They approached the bar where the number and his wife were sitting and Root took the seat to the left of the number while Shaw sat to the left of Root.  
  
"Hi," Root greeted the couple. "What are y'all drinking there? Looks delicious." Root spoke with a southern drawl, which Shaw figured was put on as part of her cover identity, but there was a genuine quality in Root's voice as she spoke, which Shaw would have found endearing were she the sentimental type. Which she was not. Absolutely not.  
  
"I believe our bartender called them 'Pink Ladies," Alexander replied.  
  
"Thanks, I think I'll order a couple of those for myself and my girlfriend." Root turned to the bartender. "Two Pink Ladies, please." She turned back to the number and his wife. "I'm Veronica. This here is my girlfriend Carmen. It's our first couples' trip together so we're kinda new to this." Root gestured to the shiny band on Alexander's ring finger. "Y'all are newlyweds?"  
  
"Yes, we're on our honeymoon," he answered. "I'm Alex, and this is my wife Maria. Nice to meet you both." Alex and Maria reach over to shake hands with Root and Shaw. As they shake, Root surreptitiously slipped the room key out from Alex's pocket and replaced it with hers.

  
"So, what's there to do around the resort?" Root asked conversationally, tucking the room key into her purse. "We were thinking of trying out some activities, but there's just so much to choose from. Do y'all have any recommendations?"  
  
"You should try the couples' massage on the beach," Maria suggested. "They do the massage in a cabana on the beach - it's super romantic. We're actually just getting ready to head out to a session right now. It's an hour-long session, so you'll feel nice and relaxed afterwards."  
  
"Perfect," Root replied. "Well, y'all enjoy your massage. I'm sure we'll see you around sometime."  
  
Alex and Maria smiled politely as they stood up to head to their massage session. Root flashed them a charming smile and Shaw bared her teeth in what was probably meant to be a smile but came out as more of a grimace.

"We'll need to work on that smile, Shaw." Root nudged Shaw playfully with her shoulder. "Come on, let's head to their suite. An hour should give us plenty of time to get in and out."

\----  
  
Root swiped the room key to Alex's suite and pushed open the door. They entered the room and set to work right away planting the bugs throughout the suite, with Root in charge of the living room area and Shaw in charge of the bedroom. Shaw had just finished planting the last bug by the night table when she was unceremoniously shoved onto her back on the king size bed.  
  
"What the hell, Roo-"  
  
She was cut off when Root's mouth covered hers in a heated kiss and her brain actually felt like it short circuited for a few seconds. Root pulled away from the kiss and moved her mouth over to nibble at Shaw's right earlobe, causing her to shiver at the contact.

"Shhhhhh, housekeeping is here," Root whispered in her ear, "I need you to make this look good - can you do that for me?"  
  
Before Shaw had time to think of a reply, Root's lips were back on hers and she was mortified to hear herself let out a moan. Fuck, this shouldn't feel so good. She could feel Root's smirk against her lips and she opened her mouth to tell her to shut up, but Root took that opportunity to slip her tongue into Shaw's mouth. Shaw just shrugged and resigned herself to the kiss. Root does make a pretty convincing argument with her tongue. Her warm, wet tongue that for some reason always tastes of apples. Shaw reached up and ran her fingers through Root's silky hair, grasping at the nape of her neck to draw her in closer.

  
"...Oh! Oh my - I am so sorry!" Shaw was brought back to reality when she heard the embarrassed housekeeper apologizing.  
  
Root reluctantly drew away from the kiss to look over at the flustered woman.

"Oh, there's no need to apologize, it's completely our fault - we didn't hear you knocking."  
  
"I'll come back a bit later, then." The woman winked at them. "You two enjoy your time, now." She turned around and left the room.  
  
After hearing the door close, Root looked back down at Shaw and grinned at the woman spread underneath her. Shaw was still breathing heavily, her exposed abdominal muscles flexing and contracting with each breath. There was a thin layer of sweat on her skin from the humidity, giving it a glistening effect. She looked so fucking hot - lips swollen and parted and staring up at Root with the undeniable look of arousal in her dark eyes. Root was still straddling Shaw's hips, her arms planted on the bed on either side of her shoulders.

"Mmmmm, this feels familiar," Root teased.

  
At the comment, Shaw's face reddened and she sat up, shoving Root away.

"Was that really necessary? We could've just asked her to come back later. No need to put on a show."  
  
"Where would the fun be in that?" Root pouted. "Besides, you weren't complaining a few seconds ago when you had your tongue in my mouth."  
  
"I...what? I was trying to make it look convincing - for the sake of the mission!" Shaw huffed indignantly.  
  
"Didn't think you'd be so obedient, Shaw. Although that's good to know...for future reference." Root waggled her eyebrows at Shaw.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Whatever, Root. Let's get out of here before the number gets back."  
  
\----  
  
They were able to bump into Alex and Maria on their way back from their massage and switch back the room keys. They spent the first half of the evening following the newlyweds from a distance. Later that night, they were sitting at the bar keeping a lookout when they noticed a suspicious looking couple lurking close to the number.  
  
"Finch, we got eyes on one male and one female." Shaw reported through the comms. "They're posing as a couple and looking shady as hell. It's really obvious that they're not here to enjoy the resort; they're not even dressed in weather appropriate clothing." She snapped a photo of the shady looking couple on her phone and sent it to Harold.  
  
"See, Shaw," Root chimed in, "Aren't you glad that you're wearing that bikini instead of the ridiculous black turtleneck that the woman has on? Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb."  
  
"Shut up, Root. I _will_ get my payback for this stunt that you pulled." Shaw had managed to find a sarong in Root's suitcase earlier and claimed it for herself, wearing it over her bikini bottom for the night. She was sporting a tan from spending hours out in the sun earlier that day and her hair was let down in cascading waves, with one side falling slightly over half of her face. She looked ridiculously hot, and Root was mentally drooling just at the sight of her.  
  
Root was also looking a bit bronzed, with little blonde highlights appearing in her light brown hair, giving her a sun-kissed look. A few freckles had sprouted on her nose, and a golden tan was staring to form on her usually pale skin. And her legs, oh man, her legs. Those long, slender legs shimmered in the sunlight in that dress. Shaw noticed, but tried not to stare lest the hacker caught her looking. She would never hear the end of it.  
  
"Ms. Shaw, I can confirm that the two individuals you've singled out are indeed our perpetrators. Detective Fusco has an informant that can confirm their identities as contract killers. I suggest you and Ms. Groves move in to neutralize the threat before they attack Mr. Vanderbilt."  
  
Shaw noticed just then that the perps had left their seats to follow the number as he and his wife exited the bar to head back to their suite.  
  
"Come on, Root. Let's move." Shaw hopped off of her bar stool and hurried after the hired killers, closely followed by Root.  
  
It was roughly a ten minute walk from the resort bar back to Alex's hotel suite. The perps followed Alex and Maria at just a far enough distance to avoid suspicion but just close enough that they can attack once they are out of general eye-shot.  
  
Once the couple rounded the corner leading to the corridor where their suite was, Shaw ran up behind the perps and tapped them on the shoulders to distract them before they could follow. As the two individuals turned around, Shaw bent her knees, dipping slightly and sprung up with a powerful uppercut to the man's jaw, causing him to fall backwards and hit the stone floor with a crunch.  
  
Meanwhile, Root had positioned her taser and jammed it into the side of the woman's neck, sending ten thousand volts of electricity through her and effectively rendering her unconscious.  
  
The man scrambled up to his feet, stunned by Shaw's uppercut but not yet incapacitated. Shaw rolled her eyes and punched him square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he doubled over from the blow, Shaw grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down, driving her knee right into his face and knocking him out cold.

"Amateurs," Shaw huffed at the unconscious duo. "Whoever hired you idiots should ask for a refund." She chuckled at her own joke.

  
Root beamed at Shaw and tossed her some zip ties to tie up the pair. After tying them up, Root and Shaw dragged their unconscious bodies behind the bar and tossed them into the dumpster where they probably wouldn't be discovered until the next morning. Having neutralized the threat, they decided to head back to the bar to polish off a few drinks.  
  
After a couple of hours, they headed back towards their hotel suite. Shaw swiped the room key to their suite and pushed open the door. As they stepped inside the suite, she noticed a trail of rose petals leading from the entrance all the way to the king size bed and culminating in a giant, heart-shaped petal puddle in the middle of the comforter. There was a tray of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries sitting at the foot of the bed, and the soothing melodies of...  
  
"Is that fucking Kenny G playing in the background?! Root, what the hell is going on?!"  
  
"I swear, I have no idea what's going on," Root replied defensively. "Wait - you listen to Kenny G?" Root paused as the Machine spoke into her ear. Her eyes grew wide and she bit on her bottom lip to try and stifle a grin. "The Machine says you played the saxophone in a jazz band in high school."

Shaw glowered. "The Machine can shut the hell up. They were supposed to have left that out of my file."

"Oh, they did. But you should know that She has ways of finding things out. What else did they leave out of your file, I wonder?"

  
A card placed in the middle of the pile of rose petals caught Shaw's eye and she snatched it up. "Dear Carmen and Veronica," she started reading the card aloud, "We would like to congratulate you on your recent nuptials and offer you our finest honeymoon suite - complete with the Romance Package turndown service. We hope you enjoy your time at our resort and consider us for your next milestone celebration. Sincerely, the staff at Sandals Hotel in Montego Bay." Shaw looked up from the note. "Recent nuptials?! I thought we were _girlfriends_!"  
  
"I might have mentioned in passing to the Machine when she booked our hotel suite that our cover identities should be married." Root started to explain. "But if you want to be girlfriends, Sameen, we can be girlfriends."  
  
"For the _mission_ , Root." Shaw reminded her.  
  
"Right. Yes. For the mission." Root sauntered over to where Shaw was standing. "So, for the sake of authenticity, do you want to continue our activities from earlier today before we were...interrupted by housekeeping?" She stepped right into Shaw's personal space and smiled down at her seductively.  
  
Shaw leaned up so that her nose was almost touching Root's and she could feel Root's warm breath washing over her face. "In. Your. Dreams, Root. We've finished the mission." She turned around and walked towards the patio where the jacuzzi was sitting. "I'm going for a soak in the hot tub."  
  
"Ooh, can I come?"  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes as she headed towards the jacuzzi and stripped down to her bikini. "Fine. But you're not allowed to talk. "  
  
Root grinned and started following the shorter woman out to the patio.  
  
"Oh, and Root?" Shaw called after her.  
  
"Yes, sweetie?" Root replied, a hint of hope in her voice.  
  
"Don't forget to bring the champagne and chocolates. I'm not letting that go to waste."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, I'm not as happy with this chapter as I hoped to be, but at this point I've read through it so many times that I'll just post it.


	5. Unlock my Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw get stuck in a vault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of sex in this one, and I've never written smut so it might be awkward to read. If you're not into smut, I've sectioned it off with horizontal lines.

As predicted, the next number that the Machine gave them was that of another individual targeted by Fortran. Shaw was lounging around in Harold’s office, sitting sideways in an overstuffed chair with her legs draped over one of the arms, while she waited for him to gather all the details of the case.

"Our number Mr. Anthony Clark, is another big name in the software and mechanical engineering industry," Harold started. "He created the-" he looked around. "Where's Ms. Groves?"

"She's not here yet, Finch." Shaw answered.

"Oh. I've been so accustomed to seeing you two together that I just assumed she would be somewhere nearby." Finch mused.

"And your assumption would be correct, Harry." Root chirped as she strolled in through the door. "Just picking up a little something for my favourite partner in crime." She turned to look at Shaw. "I heard you skipped breakfast today." She walked up to Shaw and produced a paper bag, which the shorter woman greedily grabbed.

"Finally! I’ve been waiting so long, my stomach started eating itself." Shaw grumbled as she took a huge bite out of the sandwich that was in the bag. "Duhhf yuhh gefh huh ehhfra mmuhstrr?"

"Yes, I got the extra mustard. And if you need to eat something for breakfast, you can just call me over next time." Root winked at Shaw. She turned to Harold. "I got you a sandwich too, Harry."

"No, thank you, Ms. Groves. I think I just lost my appetite." Harold groaned.

Root shrugged. "So, now that I'm here, let's continue discussing the new number. Anthony Clark is a huge name in software engineering. Looks like Fortran is targeting the biggest names in software development and engineering."

"It does appear that way," Finch nodded in agreement. "Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco are tracking Mr. Clark while he attends a board meeting out of town. Ms. Shaw and Ms. Groves, you will need to visit Mr. Clark's residence and gain access to his vault."

"A heist?" Shaw grinned. "What're we stealing, Finch?"

"A laptop, Ms. Shaw. But not just any laptop. It appears that Mr. Clark, Mr. Vanderbilt and Ms. Sanderson have all been recruited by the government to develop a program that may very well be the next level in AI technology. And it has become increasingly evident that the individual known as Fortran has been hiring mercenaries to kill off those who are involved in this project. At least that was what we thought until today. Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco have discovered through their recon work that the attempted assassinations were meant to act as distractions to throw off  the scent while Fortran slips in to steal the technology from each target. We have discovered that Fortran was successful in acquiring Ms. Sanderson's and Mr. Vanderbilt's parts of the puzzle. The last part, for now, remains in Mr. Clark's possession. We will need to get a hold of his laptop before Fortran does."

"Okay, so we're going to kamikaze into some nerd's Fortress of Solitude to steal his _computer_?" Shaw scoffed.

"This technology, if fallen into the wrong hands, could prove disastrous; there is no telling what could happen should the wrong person obtain it. Imagine an AI army ready to go to war for the highest bidder."

Shaw raised an eyebrow. "You mean there's an actual possibility that Skynet might take over the world?"

"If that time comes, will you be the Terminator to my Sarah Connor?" Root asked teasingly.

Harold sighed. "Ms. Groves, we're getting off topic. Your mission-"

"Should we accept it-"

"Ms. Groves, _please_! Your mission will be to break into the vault and retrieve the laptop. Once we have the laptop in our custody, we can hand it over to the government for safekeeping. There is a ten-digit key required to open Mr. Clark’s vault.  This key changes every twenty minutes, and the updated key is sent to Mr. Clark in an encrypted text message which is then deleted after it has been read. Ms. Shaw, I believe you have experience in cracking vaults?"

"Yeah, picked it up when I was in Barcelona working for the Relevant side." 

“Excellent. Mr. Clark lives in East Hampton, on a large estate.” Harold hands them a file containing the blueprints of the mansion. “His vault is situated on the southeast side of the residence, in the basement. It appears that he spends most of his time in there, having built an office and living space inside the vault. He is very careful about keeping his designs a secret."

“Sounds kinda shady.” Shaw remarked.

“Perhaps it does. However, wouldn’t you also be secretive if you were designing a potential weapon of mass destruction?” Harold countered.

“Point taken.” Shaw conceded. “So, when do we head out?”

\----

  
Bypassing the security at the huge East Hampton estate was fairly easy. With the Machine in her ear, Root was able to stay one step ahead of the security guards, disabling all of the perimeter alarms so that they could sneak into the basement undetected.

Once they reached the vault, Shaw got out her kit and started working on opening the vault door. She placed a device on the surface of the door and connected a few strategically-placed sensors around the device. She pressed a few buttons, and numbers started running on the device screen until all ten digits of the entry key were revealed.

"Ok, Finch, we're almost in." Shaw reported through the comms as she pressed the last button on the keypad.

There was a loud click and the door to the vault opened. Shaw removed the device from the door and they both stepped into the massive vault. The room was furnished like a suite, complete with a couch, bed and office desk. There were various gadgets scattered throughout the room, probably high tech toys that the number had designed through the years. This was no doubt where he spent most of his time. Shaw walked around to take a look at some of the technology while Root headed toward the office desk to find the laptop.

Suddenly, the deafening sound of an alarm went off and a mechanical voice repeating the phrase _"unauthorized entry, please enter credentials"_ rang through the speakers.

"Crap. What do we do now, Finch?" Shaw shouted over the sounds of the alarm.

"There should be an override button somewhere inside the vault. You must be careful, Ms. Shaw. If you do not locate and press the override button in time, the vault door will automatically lock-"

THUD

"...what was that sound?" Finch asked.

"That was the vault door, Finch. Automatically locking."

"Oh dear."

"Well, bad news is that we're now stuck in a vault that's been locked from the outside. Good news is the annoying alarm and mechanical screeching stopped as soon as the vault locked. So there's that." Shaw muttered sarcastically. "Finch, I need you to call a friend of mine. Tomas Koroa. He and I had a brief uh, mission in Barcelona where we worked a few heists together. I heard he's back in town right now on a job. He's probably the only guy I know who can get us outta this thing."

"You still keep in contact after all these years?" Root remarked from her position at the desk. "Must have been some kind of mission."

A steady beeping sound started from somewhere behind Shaw, and she turned around to see that one of the gadgets in the room had sprung to life, emitting a glowing red hue and displaying a timer - and said timer was counting down from three minutes. "Oh, goodie. And it looks like this vault is rigged to self-destruct in about two and a half minutes. The fun just doesn't stop."

"Also, I found the laptop." Root added. "You should see what's on here, Harry. It will blow your mind."

"If we don't find a way to diffuse this bomb, Root, the only thing getting blown will be us. And not in a good way." Shaw grumbled.

"Well why don’t you diffuse it, then? Didn’t they teach that while you were in the Marines?"

"As a fucking medic. And the only bombs I encountered on the field were dirty bombs and homemade bombs, not this high tech mechanical bullshit that we have here." Shaw spat.

Root walked over to study the bomb. The device looked like a metallic capsule, and the digital timer was situated right in the middle of it. There were wires sprouting out from either end of the capsule, crossing over and connecting.

 _Fuck_ , Root thought, _All the wires are the same colour. Usually in movies they differentiate the wire colour for easy reference. Not the case here_. Root relayed the description of the bomb to the Machine.

"Ms. Groves, have you seen this particular model anywhere before in the past?" Harold asked.

"Afraid not, Harry. I think this one was designed by Anthony himself. Are you able to get a hold of John and Lionel? Maybe they can get him to tell us how to diffuse it."

"I've tried to reach Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco, but it seems that they are off the grid at the moment. Does the Machine have any insight on this?"

"One minute and counting." Shaw updated, clearly a bit agitated.

"The Machine is searching through her database right now. We have no cameras down here, so it's taking a bit longer for her to research, based on the description that I’ve given her." Root explained. "Hand me your knife, Shaw, I'm cutting one of the wires."

Shaw removed her fold-up knife from her boot and tossed it to Root. "You better be sure which wire you’re cutting, Root. Thirty seconds."

Beads of sweat started forming on Root's forehead as she focused on separating the wires to see where each one was connected. Her hand was clammy from the grip on Shaw’s knife, and she can barely hear Harold's distressed chatter over the loud thumping of her heartbeat in her ears.

Ten seconds. She chose a wire.

Eight seconds.  She pinched the wire to form a loop and positioned the knife under the loop, preparing to slice it. 

Five seconds. The Machine whispered something in her ear and she switches wires, cutting the opposite one at the last second.

The beeping stopped. Root let out a sigh of relief.

"Ms. Groves? Ms. Shaw? Are you both alright?"

"We're good, Finch. Root cut the right wire." Shaw answered when she realized that Root was too stunned to speak.

"Oh thank goodness! I will contact your friend, Ms. Shaw, and help will be on the way."

"Thanks, Finch." Shaw turned over to look at Root. "Hey, Root. You okay?"

Root was still staring unseeingly at the bomb sitting just an arm's length from her.

"We...we almost died, Sam." She turned to Shaw.

"I know, stupid. I was here."

"Yeah, but we almost _died_. And the entire time I was trying to diffuse the bomb, all I could think about was doing this-"

Root grabbed Shaw by the back of her neck and dragged her in until their lips met. Shaw's eyes widened minutely in surprise at the force of the kiss, but she quickly relaxed into it and let her eyes fall closed. Root pulled the elastic out of Shaw’s hair, releasing her ponytail and running her fingers through the strands.

Shaw could taste an urgency in Root's kiss that wasn't there the last two times they'd kissed. God, they've already done this twice? It feels like all sense of time and space are lost every time their lips connect. Shaw walked backward towards the bed, tugging Root to follow her, their mouths continuing to move against each other. Shaw let herself fall backwards when she felt her calves hit the edge of the bed, and Root followed her down, never missing a beat.

* * *

 

Root broke the kiss briefly to sit up and wriggle out of her leather jacket. She threw the jacket into the corner somewhere and pulled her shirt off, tossing it in the same general direction. She leaned back down to kiss Shaw again, licking at her bottom lip until Shaw opened her mouth to let her in.

Shaw slid her hands down Root's back and released the clasp on her bra, pulling the fabric down Root's arms and throwing it out of the way once the hacker lifted her hands enough to slip it off.

Their tongues moved languidly against each other, building up the heat inside of Root until all she could think was that she needed to feel more of Shaw. Root pulled back abruptly, causing Shaw to sit up while trying to chase the kiss. Shaw raised an eyebrow in question.

"I need you," Root whispered seductively, "to take your clothes off."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"Take your clothes off."

"No, the part before that."

"I need you?"

"That's what I like to hear."

Shaw grinned and shrugged out of her leather jacket. She was going to take her time removing her shirt, but Root clearly did not want to waste any time, practically ripping the shirt off, followed shortly after by the black sports bra. Root shoved Shaw back down onto her back and attacked her neck with vigor, biting at the flesh and soothing the pain immediately after with gentle sucks. Shaw hissed and groaned at the opposing sensations.

Root's hands found Shaw's wrists and dragged them up to settle at either side of her head, effectively pinning her down. She trailed kisses down Shaw's throat and the expanse of her chest, hovering when she finally got to one of her breasts. Root's tongue darted out to lick at the nipple while her eyes remained locked onto Shaw's face, watching her reaction. Shaw arched her back off the bed to feel more of Root's mouth on her skin, and Root quickly obliged, sucking the now hardened bud into her mouth and laving at it with her tongue. She scraped at the nipple with her teeth until it was sensitive and raw, then dragged her mouth to Shaw's other breast to give it the same treatment.

Shaw's breathing was growing ragged, and she could feel herself getting wetter and wetter under Root's expert tongue. But her wrists were still pinned onto the mattress, and she couldn't do anything but arch against the bed and buck her hips against the taller woman to show her impatience.

Root drew back and grinned down at Shaw. "Tell me what you want, Sameen." She whispered, her voice hoarse with arousal.

"I...I want you inside me." Shaw answered, trying to hide the desperation in her voice.

Root let go of her grip on one of Shaw's wrists and trailed her hand slowly down Shaw's torso, starting from the column of her throat and moving down towards her stomach. She spread her fingers when she reached Shaw's abs and stroked at the hard, defined muscle beneath her hand.

"Root," Shaw forced through her teeth, "Stop teasing."

"Always so impatient, Shaw," Root teased, "Patience makes the heart grow fonder."

"That's not how the saying goes," Shaw growled, "are we going to fuck or not? Because I'd like to get laid sometime today, and if you're not willing to deliver, I can find someone else to do the-"  
Shaw was abruptly cut off when Root shoved her hand down her pants and fingers found her wet and wanting.

"No need to call for backup, sweetie. I've got this one covered." Root stroked at Shaw's entrance, gathering the lubrication at her fingertips and drawing back up to massage at Shaw's clit, making her bite back a moan.

Shaw realized that her pants were restricting the movement of Root's hand, so she reached down with her free hand to pop the button open and unzip the fly. "Much better." She breathed.

Root took her cue and let go of Shaw's other wrist to pull Shaw's pants down until they reached just below her knees. She smiled down at the sight before her: Shaw looking disheveled and breathing heavily, her dark hair spilled onto the pillow beneath her head. There was an intense heat in her gaze, and Root was burning up from inside just seeing the desire in her eyes. She couldn’t believe that this beautiful, dangerous woman was handing her the reins and letting her take control of her pleasure.

Root swallowed and shifted her mind to the task that was literally at hand. She drew her fingers back to Shaw's entrance and paused to look back up at Shaw. "Is this what you want, Sameen?" she asked.

Shaw nodded, unable to form any words at the moment, and that was all Root needed to continue. Two fingers glided easily into Shaw, and the two women let out a simultaneous gasp at the first contact.

"You're _so_ wet, sweetie. You feel so good around my fingers." Root mused as she started thrusting into Shaw. She dipped her head down to swipe at Shaw's clit with her tongue, and the smaller woman bucked her hips at the sensation. As Root's thrusting grew faster, she could feel Shaw getting closer and closer. Shaw’s knuckles were white from grasping onto the bedsheets so tightly on either side of her. Her hips were thrusting so desperately that Root had to hold her down with a forearm barred across her waist. When Shaw felt herself about to come, she released her grip on the bedsheets and grabbed onto Root's head to hold her in place. She came with a strangled gasp, and Root continued thrusting gently inside of her to help her ride out the orgasm. Shaw slumped back onto the bed when she was finally able to catch her breath.

* * *

 

Root crawled up the bed to lie next to Shaw and beamed adoringly at her. "Well, that was nice." Root breathed.

"Uhhhhh, well that was awkward." Reese's voice trickled through the comms.

Root almost fell off the bed in her shock, and Shaw groaned in embarrassment. The comms were on the entire time.

"Reese, what the hell?!? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Relax, Shaw, we only caught the tail end.  Didn't want to interrupt while you two were in the middle of it."

" _We_?!? Who else is on the line?"

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again." Fusco muttered.

"And Harold? Are you on the line too?" Shaw demanded.

There was no immediate answer, but Shaw could hear a distant squawk in the background and some shuffling of papers. "I can hear you, Finch."

"My apologies, Ms. Shaw. I only reconnected the line to let you know that I have sent your friend Mr. Koroa to help get you out of the vault. Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco are also on their way to retrieve the laptop from Ms. Groves and transport it to the authorities."

"Tomas is here?!? Oh, shit!" Shaw groaned. This was the worst and best day ever.

"Is that your boyfriend from Spain?" Root asked. "Oh, this will be interesting."

"Shut up, Root. He wasn't my boyfriend." Shaw jumped off the bed and pulled up her pants, looking around to find her discarded shirt and jacket. Root had somehow already gotten dressed and looked entirely too smug watching Shaw struggle to find her clothes. Shaw wanted to punch that smug little grin off her perfect face. But maybe after she makes out with it a little. Okay, after she makes out with her a lot.

Shaw pulled on her shirt and jacket just as she heard the vault door click and swing open. They were ready this time, since Root found the override button under the office desk when she was looking for the laptop.

"Nice to see you again, Nadya." Tomas greeted Shaw as she stepped towards the door. Root looked at her and silently mouthed _"Nadya?"_ with a look of complete glee and intrigue on her face. Shaw rolled her eyes and stepped out of the vault.

"Good to see you too, Tomas. Thanks for getting us out of this mess."

"Anytime. I was surprised to get a call from your associate. I thought I would never see you again after you broke my heart and left me in Barcelona."

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I had business to take care of back home." Shaw mumbled.

"No big deal," Tomas shrugged, "I ended up finding a good crew to run with afterwards. We've been making a lot of good money. You should join us for a job or two sometime; I'll give you a call."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Shaw agreed as she awkwardly tried to shuffle past him and away from the conversation.

"Hi, I'm Root! Nice to meet you, Tomas." Root said as she stepped out of the vault. "I've heard a lot about you and your adventures in Barcelona with Sha- uh, Nadya."

"Oh, Nadya told you about me?" Tomas answered, surprised.

"Not exactly." She smiled mysteriously at him.

"Oh. Well it's nice to meet any friend of Nadya's." Tomas reached out to shake Root's hand, which was retracted when Root was all of a sudden pulled backwards by Shaw.

"Okay, okay, intros are over. We need to get back to base." Shaw grumbled. "Bye, Tomas. See you...around...sometime."

Tomas flashed them both a charming smile.

Reese and Fusco arrived just then and Shaw stomped past them, avoiding any eye contact.

"Here you go, boys." Root tossed the laptop to Fusco while still being dragged away by Shaw.

"Are we really going back to base?" Root asked when they were out of earshot.

"Of course not. I have some favours that I need to return. Didn't think I'd leave you high and, uh, _not so dry_ \- did ya?"

Root grinned. "I hoped not."

"Comms are still on." Reese interjected.

"Goddammit!" Shaw shouted.


	6. Sin City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw go to Vegas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more smut in this one, but also sectioned off with horizontal lines for those who are not into it.

Root laid sprawled out on her bed, wearing only a black lace bra and matching panties, breathing heavily and looking down at Shaw who was settled between her legs and grinning right back up at her. Shaw herself was still fully dressed; her only focus at the moment was to reciprocate Root's favour from earlier in the vault. Multiple times.  
  
Root gestured to her panties with her chin. "I want you to take them off, Shaw." The lust was apparent in her voice.  
  
"Sure thing." Shaw started to pull at the waistband of the lacy lingerie, only to be stopped by Root's hand.  
  
"No, Sameen. I want you to pull them off with your teeth." She commanded.  
  
_Alright, I'm game_. Shaw thought to herself. She leaned down to gather some of the fabric between her teeth and started to tug the panties down. She could feel Root's heat so close to her face, causing a fresh jolt of arousal to shoot through her body. Just as she got down to Root's thighs with the underwear, the shrill ringing of both their cell phones cut through the room.  
  
In her surprise, Shaw released the fabric from between her teeth, and the underwear snapped back onto Root's thighs, causing her to gasp.  
  
_Urrrrghh, Finch. This had better be important_. It probably was if he's conference calling them both, but that doesn't make her want to murder him any less.  
  
Shaw grabbed her phone first, off of the night table. "What?" She barked.  
  
"...Ms. Groves?" Harold's confused voice sounded on the other side.  
  
"What the..? No, it's me, Finch. Root's busy at the moment. What do you want?" Shaw growls into Root's phone.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Shaw. I was trying to get a hold of you, too. What a fortunate coincide- oh...I see." Harold must have realized what he had just interrupted and he cleared his throat awkwardly.  "We...have a new number."  
  
"Well can your new number wait a couple of hours?" She glanced over at Root still draped across the bed, her head propped on an elbow, trying to decipher Shaw's conversation with Finch. _I'm going to murder this number myself for interrupting this_ , she thought to herself.  
  
"I would very much rather you not, Ms. Shaw." Harold scolded.  
  
_Crap, I said that out loud_. Shaw mentally face palmed.  
  
"Whatever. We're on our way." She snapped and ended the call. Shaw turned back towards Root and looked her over. She looked so damn fuckable just lying there on her side with her panties drawn halfway down her thighs, showing off the slope of her sharp hipbone. Fuck this job.  
  
"Duty calls?" Root asked, though she knew as much.  
  
"Yeah. Rain check? I'll make it worth your while."  
  
"Oh, I know you will." Root shot her a sexy smirk.  
  
\----  
  
"Ms. Groves. Ms. Shaw. Thank you for coming on such short notice." Harold greeted them when they arrived at his office.  
  
"Not like we had any choice." Shaw grumbled under her breath.  
  
Harold shot them both a wary look and continued. "Our number is an officer at the Department of Homeland security, Officer Natasha Hill." He tapes the number's photo on the board. "Officer Hill is charged with overseeing the security of the laptop that we retrieved from Mr. Clark's vault. The Machine has indicated that she is being targeted by Fortran for her access to the laptop. She will be traveling to Las Vegas for a few days to attend a bachelorette party for one of her close friends. You will need to track her movements and ensure that Fortran does not get to her.” He hands them both manila envelopes containing their cover identities and plane tickets. “Because this mission is out of New York jurisdiction, Detective Fusco cannot assist. We have therefore reached out to our contacts at the FBI to assist you on this mission. Agents Jocelyn Carter and Zoe Morgan will be accompanying you to Las Vegas on this mission. Ms. Shaw, I believe you have worked with both agents in the past?"  
  
"Yeah. I've worked with them a few times on Relevant cases." Shaw answered. "They're good people."  
  
"Splendid. Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco will continue to assist with numbers here while you are away. Your plane will be leaving in an hour and Agents Carter and Morgan will be waiting for you when you land. Did you need suitcases packed?" He enquired.  
  
"Nope. I came prepared." Shaw grinned and held up a suitcase which she crammed full of black tank tops and jeans.  "Not letting the machine pick out ridiculous get-ups for me this time." She shot Root a warning look to which Root answered with an innocent shrug of the shoulders.  
  
\----  
  
After their plane landed, Root and Shaw walked out to the arrivals terminal to look for Carter and Zoe.  
  
"Hey, girl!" Carter's cheery voice reached Shaw from across the way.  
  
Shaw grinned and headed towards the two women standing by the sliding doors.  
  
"Haven't seen you for a while, Shaw. Still looking as fine as ever." Carter teased. She turned to look at Root. "You must be the new partner." She gave Root a once-over. "Welcome to the team, Groves."  
  
"Actually, she prefers to be called Root." Shaw corrected.  
  
"Okay, okay. No need to be all territorial." Carter raised her hands in mock defense. "Root it is. Nice to meet you, Root. Welcome to the Dream Team."  
  
"Happy to be here." Root returned Carter's smile with one of her own.  
  
"She's cute," Zoe said, nudging Shaw with her shoulder. "Much better looking than your last partner."  
  
"Hands off, Morgan. This one's already taken." Shaw joked, and then immediately realized what she'd just said. "Oh shit. Uh, I mean, she's already taken as in she already has a partner. Mission partner. For missions."  
  
"Riiiiiiiight." Zoe commented as she looked from the flustered and bumbling Shaw to Root, who was blushing furiously.  
  
Carter slapped Shaw heartily on the back. "Give it up, Shaw. We know you two are fucking."  
  
"I...we're...ah, whatever. Let's just check into the hotel room." Shaw huffed.  
  
"We only booked one room for the four of us, but now that we've seen you two, maybe we should've booked you a private room." Zoe teased.  
  
"Shut up, Morgan. You're worse than Reese." Shaw grumbled.  
  
"Oh! Speaking of, tell John we both say Hi and that we miss him." said Carter.  
  
"Tell him yourselves, you losers. I'm not gonna get in the middle of whatever this contest is that you two are having."  
  
"We're just trying to see who can get him to blush first. All in good fun." Zoe grinned mischievously.  
  
Shaw shook her head but smiled. "You two are the worst."  
  
"And by worst, she means best." Zoe said to Root with a wink.  
  
\----  
  
The four of them checked into the Aria hotel and went up to their room to unpack.  
  
Carter pointed towards the beds in the room. "Two queen beds. Root, Shaw - you two are not allowed to sleep in the same bed 'cause we don't want you fucking when we're trying to get our beauty sleep. Root, you're with me."  
  
Root looked at Shaw and shrugged as she brought her luggage over to her assigned bed.  
  
Zoe sidled up behind Shaw. "Don't worry, Shaw; I got you covered. The manager here owes me a couple of favours so I got him to comp you two an executive suite." She pressed a room key into Shaw's hand. "Hope you kids enjoy!"  
  
Zoe slipped away and whispered something to Carter before Shaw had a chance to say anything. Shaw shook her head and shoved the room key into her jean pocket.  
  
Carter clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay, ladies. Let's get ready. We got a bachelorette party to crash."  
  
They all unzip their suitcases to reveal various firearms and weapons. Zoe and Root brought an array of tasers, while Carter and Shaw fawned over their compact pistols. After a few minutes of show and tell, everyone chose their weapons for the evening. They then changed into their party dresses, Shaw and Root sneaking glances at each other and Carter and Zoe rolling their eyes at how obvious they were being.  
  
After they were all dressed and armed, the foursome set out to the Alibi lounge, where the number and her party were going to spend the night.  
  
They arrived fairly early so the place was still somewhat empty, with just a trickling of guests at the bar. They headed to a sofa near the center of the room where they would have the best vantage point to see guests coming and leaving. Zoe brought over a few glasses of chilled white wine and they all sat chatting away while keeping an eye out for the number.  
  
About two hours later, Carter spotted Natasha Hill walking in with a few other women, one of which seemed to be the bride-to-be.  
  
"I got eyes on our number." Carter leaned in to alert the others. "She's at the bar with her crew. Shaw, it's your turn to get the drinks." Carter discretely hands Shaw a tracking device to plant on the number.  
  
Shaw got up from the sofa and made her way towards the bar. She pushed her way in so that she was standing right next to the number. "Four glasses of Riesling, please." Shaw placed her order with the bartender. She put down a few bills and motioned with her head towards the sofa where they were sitting. "We're all sitting at that sofa over there."  
  
The bartender nodded and went to pour the drinks. Shaw bluejacked Natasha's phone and surreptitiously dropped the tracking device into her purse while she wasn't looking, then turned to walk back to the sofa. Unfortunately, she walked right into another partygoer carrying a glass of champagne and the fizzy drink spilled down the front of Shaw's black dress.  
  
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry! I should have been looking where I was going!" The woman apologized. Her accent sounded oddly familiar.  
  
Shaw looked up and locked eyes with an equally familiar face.  
  
"Claire?" Shaw asked.  
  
The woman paused her fussing and looked back at Shaw. "I'm sorry, have we met?"  
  
Right. The masks. "Carmen.” Shaw reminded her. “Carmen Reid, remember? From the masquerade a few weeks ago."  
  
Claire smiled widely at Shaw. "Oh, yes, Carmen!" She reached to grasp both of Shaw's hands in hers, and Shaw fought the natural urge to pull back, not comfortable with such intimate contact.  
  
"I didn't recognize you without the mask. But I'm so glad I finally get to see you without it. You have beautiful eyes, Carmen." Claire complimented.  
  
"Bleggghhh!" Zoe made a vomiting noise over the comms.  
  
"Hey, girl kinda looks like Root!" Carter pointed.  
  
"So I've heard." Root replied.  
  
"Who is this broad? Do we need to flex our muscles at her?" Zoe asked.  
  
"She's a former number." Root explained.  "First one Shaw and I worked together on."  
  
"Awwwwww, how adorable." Carter commented.  
  
"Shut up. All of you. I'm kicking all of your asses." Shaw threatened through her clenched jaw.  
  
"Did you say something, Carmen?" Claire asked.  
  
_Crap!_ Shaw thought. _This talking through clenched teeth thing never works for me_. "Uh, nope. Must've been someone else. It's pretty loud in here." She lied.  
  
"You're right, it is." Claire agreed. "Listen, you and I never got to do that interview. Or grab those drinks-"  
  
"Hiya!" Zoe crashes in between Claire and Shaw, nearly spilling Claire's drink for the second time that night. "I'm Carmen's friend, April." She grabbed Claire's hand and shook it.  
  
"And I'm Cookie." Carter shoved in next to Zoe, pushing Shaw further away from Claire.  
  
"Cookie?!?" Shaw gritted through her teeth to Zoe.  
  
"What?" Zoe shrugged. "We've been watching a lot of Empire lately."  
  
"And this," Carter pulled Root in to stand between her and Claire, "is Carmen's girl-"  
  
"Photographer. I mean coworker. Hi, I'm Veronica." Root quickly cut in.  
  
"Ah, yes. I was supposed to meet you the other night, Veronica." Claire looked Root up and down. "I'm sorry our evening was cut short." She smiled at Root.  
  
"So," Shaw interrupted, "What brings you here, Claire?"  
  
"Just a little bit of vacation time." Claire replied. "It's been a very busy year for me. I've been working on quite a few large projects, so I thought I'd take a few days off to enjoy myself."  
  
Shaw nodded. "You here by yourself?" she asked.  
  
"I've got some friends who are here with me." Claire smiled at Shaw. "Actually, it looks like they're calling me over. Let me give you my number and we can get together for those drinks sometime." She took out her business card, scribbled something down on the back and handed the card to Shaw with a wink. "It was very nice to see you again and meet all of your friends, Carmen." She waved to them all politely. "Until next time."  
  
"Bye, now!" Zoe waved enthusiastically. "...Whoa, what was that all about?" She turned to the other three women.  
  
"Homegirl obviously has the hots for Shaw, here. And Shaw obviously has a type." Carter added. "Root, don't you worry, girl. She’s got nothing on you."  
  
"Ugh. You guys need to mind your own business." Shaw grumbled.  
  
"Guys, looks like our number is on the move." Root alerted them. "Let's go."  
  
They followed Natasha and her group around for a few more hours and then returned to their hotel when she seemed to have retired for the night. Carter and Zoe made up some excuse about needing to set up surveillance equipment and then ran ahead towards their hotel room. Root and Shaw shrugged and took their time walking back.  
  
When they finally got back to their room, they saw that their suitcases had been left out in the hallway.  There was a piece of hotel paper taped to one of the suitcases scrawled with the words "Get a room, you two! We'll take the night watch." Root laughed and went to knock on the door, but Shaw stopped her and shook her head.  
  
"They're not gonna open the door, those fuckers." Shaw said. She could hear Carter and Zoe laughing inside. "I can't believe they were actually hired to be Federal agents." She rolled her eyes.  
  
Shaw dug into her suitcase for the jeans that she was wearing earlier that day, fished the room key out of the pocket and motioned for Root to follow her.  
  
They grabbed their suitcases and took the elevator up a few floors to the executive suite. Shaw swiped the room key and opened the door to the suite.  
  
Oh no, not again. Shaw groaned. The familiar scent of rose petals, champagne, and strawberries wafted to greet them as they stepped in. Root actually laughed out loud as she looked around at the familiar scene. She turned to Shaw. "Did you do this, Sam?"  
  
"Hell no, I didn't! I told you, I am not into this kind of nonsense." Shaw answered defensively.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Root dropped the suitcases, stepped closer to Shaw and pulled her in closer by her shoulders. Her eyes flickered down to look into Shaw's. "Then what kind of nonsense are you into?"  
  
Shaw gulped. She studied the woman standing before her. Root was wearing a brilliant blue dress that brought out the creamy colour of her skin. Her lips were painted scarlet red, and there was a sly smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. Shaw could smell the coconut scent of Root's shampoo and feel the warmth of her body heat, causing a wave of desire to travel through her and settle between her legs. She reached a hand behind Root's back and found the zipper on her dress. Shaw slowly pulled the zipper down the length of Root's back, letting her fingertips brush each millimeter of skin as it became exposed.  
  
"This kind." She whispered as she pushed the straps of Root's dress off her shoulders.  
  
The dress pooled around Root's feet and Shaw reached her hand out to brush Root's hair away from her ear and take out her earpiece. "Not making the same mistake again." She said as she took out her own earpiece and tossed both devices onto the coffee table in the middle of the room.

* * *

  
  
As soon as the earpieces landed, Root dipped her head down and captured Shaw's lips with hers. Shaw parted her lips to deepen the kiss and Root did the same, letting their tongues meet again without further delay. Root moaned softly into Shaw's mouth; her hands found the zipper on Shaw's dress and tugged it down, pushing the straps off her shoulders and waiting for her to step out of it before pulling her towards the bed.  
  
Root landed on her back on the bed and pushed herself up the mattress so that her head was resting on the pillows.  
  
Shaw's mouth went dry at the sight of the hacker laid back on the bed wearing only the lacy red panties and bra that matched the colour of her lips. Shaw crawled predatorily up the bed to settle in between Root's legs. She planted her hands on either side of Root's torso and bent her head down to lick a trail from her navel past the bra and to the base of her throat. She drew back and gently blew on the trail of moisture left by her tongue, causing Root to gasp and shiver.  
  
"Look who's teasing now," Root remarked, wriggling pleasantly underneath Shaw.  
  
"Look who's impatient now." Shaw countered, continuing to lick up the length of Root's long, slender neck and up to her left ear. Shaw nibbled on the lobe. "How attached are you to this?" She murmered as her index finger trailed across the top of Root's bra, caressing her skin and causing goosebumps to form in its wake.  
  
"It...it could come off." Root breathed as her body reacted to Shaw's touch.  
  
"And what about these?" Shaw's hand reached down and she hooked a thumb into the waistband of Root's panties, pulling playfully at the fabric.  
  
Root bit her lip and nodded her head. "Them too."  
  
Shaw grinned. "Good."  
  
Shaw pulled her fold-up knife from its strap on her thigh and sliced off the bra with a few quick flicks of her wrist. Root gasped as the fabric fell away and exposed her skin to the evening air. Shaw moved her mouth to bite at the underside of Root's left breast. She captured the nipple between her teeth and tugged until Root hissed and then quickly soothed the pain by suckling gently at the sensitive bud. She moved over to the other breast and did the same, letting her warm tongue roll over raw skin and feeling Root squirming beneath her, filling the room with her gasps and moans.  
  
After several minutes, when she felt like she had given enough attention to Root's breasts, Shaw trailed kisses down her stomach until she got to the edge of her panties.  
  
"I bet you're soaked right now." she whispered, and Root moaned in answer. Shaw took out her knife and made quick work of the panties. She kind of felt bad that she had to cut them off; they looked really hot on Root. She folded up the knife and tossed it onto the floor beside the bed. She slid further down the bed so that her face was level with Root's pelvis. She leaned down to nip at Root's hipbone, making the hacker buck her hips to get Shaw's mouth where she wanted it.  
  
"I want your mouth on me, Shaw." Root breathed.  
  
Shaw decided that she had teased enough. To be honest, she really couldn't wait to get her mouth on Root to see what kind of noises she could get her to make tonight. She leaned in and brushed her tongue over Root's clit, slowly coaxing it out of its hood. Root let out a drawn out moan at the contact. Shaw grinned. That's more like it. She lifted Root's left leg to sit on her shoulder so that she was nice and open for her. Shaw licked up the length of her sex, causing Root to roll her hips subconsciously. The taste of Root's arousal on her tongue caused Shaw's own panties to get much, much damper than they already were. She flattened her tongue and moved it up to massage Root's clit with firm, consistent strokes.  
  
Root's heel dug deeper into Shaw's shoulder and her hips started to buck more desperately under Shaw's ministrations. Shaw can tell that she was getting close.  
  
"Shaw," Root gasped, "I need your fingers inside of me."  
  
Shaw grinned smugly at the desperation that she could hear in Root's voice.  
  
"NOW, Sameen!"  
  
Shaw groaned. Fuck, that commanding tone was so, so hot. She slipped two fingers into Root's slick heat and marveled at how wet she was. She's so warm and so wet. Too wet; there's not enough friction. Shaw added another finger and thrust fast and deep while maintaining the pressure on Root's clit with her tongue. She kept a steady pace, hitting Root's g-spot with every thrust and causing Root to moan wantonly. A few more well-positioned thrusts and Root came hard with a drawn out whimper, gripping around Shaw’s fingers while wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her. Shaw continued her movements until Root could ride out the rest of her orgasm and the fluttering of muscles around her fingers became weaker.  
  
Root tugged on Shaw's shoulder until she crawled up the length of her body and settled on top of her.  
  
Root deftly flipped Shaw onto her back and leaned in to kiss her, moaning at the taste of her own arousal on Shaw's tongue.

"Ready for round two?" Root asked.  
  
"Ready when you are." Shaw smirked up at Root.

* * *

  
  
The sound of Shaw's cell phone ringing pulled them both out of their thoughts.  
  
"Fuck, not again!" Shaw groaned.  
  
Root rolled back onto the mattress as Shaw got off the bed and picked up her phone.  
  
"This better be good, Morgan." she snapped.  
  
"Whoa, grumpy pants. Don't shoot the messenger. Sorry to interrupt your fuckfest, but it looks like our number has just been abducted."  
  
"What?!" Shaw looked over and motioned for Root to get dressed and grab their earpieces.  
  
"She went out for some late night rendezvous with someone she met at the bar and got nabbed by a team of kidnappers in masks. Carter's tracking them right now, but they've got way more people than we do. Good thing you planted that tracker on her."  
  
"We'll be right down. Where was she taken?" Shaw asked.  
  
"The concierge delivered a note to her about ten minutes ago with a meeting location. It was somewhere outside of the hotel. We'll need to go check her suite to see if we can find any clues as to who might have abducted her."  
  
"On our way." Shaw ended the call. She turned to Root. "Natasha's been taken." They both started getting dressed. "Carter and Morgan are already trying to track her whereabouts with the tracker. We need to get into her suite to find clues that might tell us what's happened."  
  
"Okay, Nancy Drew. I'll follow your lead." Root said, grabbing her guns and tucking them into the back of her pants.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes at the reference and headed out, leading the way.  
  
Zoe met them at the door to Natasha's suite, handing them the room key which she got by flashing her FBI badge at the concierge.  
  
They stepped into the room and split up to search for any clues that might tell them where Natasha could have gone.  
  
As she was searching through the trash bin by the office desk, Root discovered a crumpled up piece of paper with the words "2am - outside, by the side door. Can't wait to see you xoxo." scribbled on it  
  
"Hey guys," Root called Zoe and Shaw over, "I think I found the note that the concierge delivered to Natasha." She showed them the note.  
  
Shaw takes the note from Root and takes a closer look. "Holy shit!" She exclaims.  
  
"What?! Holy shit what?! You can't just say holy shit and then leave it there!" Zoe shouts.  
  
"Calm down, Morgan, I was just getting to that part. I know who Natasha was meeting with." She looks up from the note to look at the other two. "It was Claire Sanderson."


	7. Sin City 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw in Vegas part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone, for your comments and kudos! So good to see that people are interested in this story :D
> 
> There's not much going on in this chapter; it's just a bit more plot development, but some interesting stuff will be coming up later!

"How do you know this?" Zoe asked.  
  
"The note that she wrote. It's in the same handwriting and style as the note that she gave me earlier." Shaw explained.  
  
"Well I, for one, am glad you that you've got so much game, Shaw. It really came in handy this time around." Zoe teased.  
  
"But just because the note came from Claire doesn't mean that she's the one setting Natasha up for abduction." Root pointed out. "We've still got no leads on who's behind this, but the Machine confirmed that it is definitely the work of Fortran."  
  
"The Machine?" Zoe asked. "It talks to you?"  
  
"Blah blah special connection, blah blah intimate relationship." Shaw grumbled. "We don't have time to discuss this, we need to go find Carter and see what she's found out about where the number's been taken."  
  
"She sounds kind of jealous of your relationship with the Machine." Zoe whispered to Root.  
  
"I can hear you! And I'm not jealous!" Shaw protested. "Now move your asses; we've got a number to save."  
  
Root smirked at Zoe as they followed Shaw.  
  
\----  
  
"Wherever they're hiding Natasha, it's off grid. I can't get a reading on the tracker - it's possible that they might not even be in Vegas anymore." Carter reports when they get to her.  
  
"Fuck. Didn't think it would be that easy." Shaw cursed.  
  
"I've got an idea." Zoe piped up.  
  
They all turned to look expectantly at her.  
  
"Pretty simple, really. Shaw, you call Claire and see if she's still in town and maybe find out what you can about the note. Someone must have known when and where they were going to meet or else they wouldn't have been able to catch Natasha."  
  
"You want me to go on a date? While our number's been abducted?" Shaw asked incredulously.  
  
"It's for the mission, Shaw. She might be able to help us piece together the puzzle. Do it for the mission!" Carter exclaimed, playfully shaking Shaw by the shoulders.  
  
Shaw batted Carter's hand away. "Ugh. Alright, fine. But I don't want to hear any stupid comments from you guys over the comms unless it's relevant to the mission."  
  
"I will make no such promises." Zoe declared, earning a death glare from Shaw. "Besides, we're all gonna be too busy on our own dates to make fun of you."  
  
"We are?" Carter asked.  
  
"Yup. We're all going undercover on dates so that we can spy on Shaw and Claire to see what she knows. Carter, you and I will go undercover as a lesbian couple. I'll bluejack her phone to see if anything suspicious pops up. Root - it's gonna be too obvious if you sit with us on our date, so we're gonna find a guy for you to have dinner with."  
  
"Why does it have to be a guy?" Shaw asked.  
  
" _Because_ , Shaw," Zoe chided, "Root over here is a hot commodity and can probably literally charm the pants off any gay lady in this city.  Do you really want to take that chance?"  
  
"Don't worry, sweetie, I only have eyes for you." Root teased.  
  
"Yeah. Hearteyes." Zoe added.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's all go get some sleep. I'll call Claire in the morning and you guys can set up your dates or whatever."  
  
The four of them went back up to Root and Shaw's room to tuck in for the night. Zoe and Carter made a few jokes about the room smelling like sex and not wanting to sleep in the wet spot, but they ended up all crowded onto the bed except for Shaw, who took the couch because she doesn't sleep with other humans, apparently.  
  
They were able to get a few hours of sleep and woke up slightly past 7am to prepare for the undercover mission that night. Shaw insisted on ordering everything on the room service menu and sat there stuffing her face with enough bacon, pancakes, waffles and French toast to feed a small family. Root watched Shaw eat with a look of pure admiration on her face while tucking into her own breakfast burrito, and Carter and Zoe each had some eggs and toast while determinedly trying not to gag looking at Shaw scarf down her breakfast.  
  
After everyone had eaten and showered, Shaw called Claire to ask her to dinner, and Root, Zoe and Carter went out to hunt for a date for Root. They went downstairs to the bar by the outdoor pool and Zoe and Carter started scoping for potential candidates.  
  
"Ooh! How about that one? He's cute." Carter mused.  
  
Root shakes her head. "Pass. He's married, with three kids and a girlfriend on the side."  
  
"Damn." Carter said, impressed. "Remind me to take you with me next time I go out. It's nice to have an all-knowing Machine in your ear when you're trying to find someone decent."  
  
"How about that one?" Zoe suggested. "He's got that nerdy but hot look going on. Plus, glasses on men are sexy if they've got the right look. And he's got the right look."  
  
"Do _you_ want to date him?" Root teased, arching an eyebrow at Zoe.  
  
"Not my type." Zoe quipped. "I prefer sharper dressed men with a bit of salt and pepper in their hair."  She winks at Carter, who sticks her tongue out at her.  
  
The Machine communicated to Root that the guy Zoe picked has a squeaky clean record and offers no threat.  
  
"Okay, Clark Kent checks out. I'm going in." Root nods to Carter and Zoe and approached the target.  
  
As she walked towards him, she feigns a trip and falls right into his arms. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz!" She fusses, laying a hand on his chest to balance herself. "Thanks for catching me; I would have embarrassed myself in front of everyone if you weren't here."  She flashes him a grateful smile.  
  
"Oh, uh, not a problem at all, miss." The man fumbled over his words.  
  
"Miss? Please, call me Veronica."  
  
"Oh. Nice to meet you, Veronica. I'm Scott." He gave her a boyish smile.  
  
"Are you...here alone, Scott?" Root asked, hand still resting on his chest.  
  
"Uhh yes. I'm here attending a business conference." He answered. "Are you, uh, here alone?"  
  
"I'm also here for a conference with a few girlfriends of mine. I must have them somewhere along the way. Hey - you wouldn't happen to be attending the Pear Tech conference as well, would you?"  
  
"Actually, I am." He smiled. "Are you in the industry?"  
  
"You can say that." She smiled, looking up at him through her lashes. "Oh, I think I see my friends over there." She waves to Carter and Zoe across the way and turns back to Scott. "I don't usually do this, but would you like to have dinner with me later tonight, Scott?"  
  
"Dinner? Oh wow. Yes, I'd really like that." Scott looked like he'd just hit the jackpot. Root almost felt bad for him. Almost.  
  
"Great! I'll make a reservation at Sage for, let's say 8 o'clock tonight?"  
  
"Sounds great! I'll see you there."  
  
"Bye, Scott." Root touched his forearm and gave him a parting smile before turning away to walk towards Zoe and Carter.  
  
"Nicely done!" Zoe exclaimed when Root drew nearer.  
  
Carter nodded. "Boy was like putty in your hands."  
  
"Not my first rodeo." Root winked at them.

  
  
Having found what they were looking for, the three of them headed back to the hotel and met up with Shaw back at the suite.  
  
"Dinner is on with Claire." Shaw informed them. "I told her that I'd text her the details. Where and when are we meeting?"  
  
"The Machine arranged for reservations at Sage tonight at 8pm." Root reported. "She's arranged for our tables to be near one another. Let's hope Claire can give us some helpful information."  
  
Shaw quickly texted the details to Claire. "Yeah, let's hope so."  
  
\----  
  
They all arrived at the restaurant at different times to avoid looking suspicious. Carter and Zoe arrived first, sitting down at their table and making sure that they'll be getting an unobstructed view of Shaw's table. Shaw arrived next, having met up with Claire in the lobby. They walked over to their table and sat down, Shaw giving a discrete nod to Carter and Zoe a few tables over before picking up the menu to peruse the selection of food.  
  
Root's date was already there, having sat down at the table across from Shaw's, but Root had yet to show up. She was still getting dressed when the other three left to go down to the restaurant.  
  
  
"I'm so glad we finally got to do this." Claire said to Shaw after she ordered two glasses of wine from the waiter. "You're a very captivating woman, Carmen."  
  
Shaw smiled. "I could say the same about you." She put down the menu that she was looking at. "So, how has your vacation been so far? Did you get the opportunity to do anything interesting or meet any interesting people?  
  
"Oh, yes. I've been enjoying myself quite a bit. There are quite a lot of interesting people to meet here. It was so nice to run into you the other day and meet your friends...As a matter of fact, aren't those your friends sitting at that table over there?"  
  
Shaw followed Claire's line of sight over to where Carter and Zoe were sitting. "Oh, yeah. They're also having dinner here tonight."  
  
  
"Shit, they're looking over here!" Carter whispered across the table to Zoe. "Quick, do something couple-y."  
  
"Ummmm, okay." Zoe reached over and awkwardly petted Carter's face.  
  
"That was great," Carter said, "I think she bought it."  
  
"Really?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Fuck no! That was hella awkward, Morgan! You're gonna blow our cover!" Carter whispered forcefully.  
  
"Shit. Wait, why are we pretending to be a couple, anyway? Why can't we just be two friends hanging out and having dinner?"   
  
"It was your brilliant idea. Too late now, genius. Just roll with it."  
  
"Okay, but I'm not putting out tonight." Zoe said, sticking her tongue out at Carter.  
  
  
Claire turned to Shaw. "Your friends look cute together. Looks like they're still in that early stage in their relationship when they're still kind of awkward around each other."  
  
"Uhhh, yeah. It's a pretty new relationship for them." Shaw answered quickly. She mentally face palmed. _Idiots_.  
  
Something caught Shaw's eye over Claire's shoulder and she leaned slightly to the side to get a better look. Root strolled into the restaurant wearing a black satin dress that ended just above the knees. Her hair cascaded down in waves over one side of her face, while the other side was tucked behind her ear and held in place with a flower. Her blood red lips stretched into a smile as she greeted her date. Shaw absentmindedly licked her lips.  
  
  
"Carmen?" Claire's voice filtered through her thoughts.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The waiter is just wondering if you're ready to order."  
  
"Oh, yes." She snapped back to reality. "I'll start with an order of French onion soup. Then I'll have the filet mignon, medium rare, with a side of twice-baked potatoes."  
  
The waiter nodded. "Excellent choice. I'll be right out with your starters."  
  
  
Across the way, Root had just sat down after being greeted by an awe-struck Scott.  
  
"W-wow, you look amazing!" he stuttered.  
  
"You're looking pretty handsome yourself," Root answered him with a smile.  
  
"I'm so glad you asked me to come to dinner." Scott said. "I didn't know anyone here and I'm really terrible at socializing. I'm actually only here because my company paid for the trip. Crowds aren't really my thing."  
  
Root gave him a kind smile. "I know what you're saying; I'm a small-town girl myself. And I can't really say that I'm a people person, either."  
  
"But you're so beauti- ahem, what I'm trying to say is- you are a very attractive woman; it's very hard to believe that people aren't just naturally drawn to you. A guy like me would never usually have enough nerve to approach someone like you for a date." Scott looked down into his drink as he spoke to her, clearly embarrassed.  
  
"Awwww darlin', don't say that. You're not so bad looking yourself." She laid a hand on his forearm and grinned at him. "Besides, you've got that Clark Kent look going on for you."  
  
"Well I did grow up on a farm." He confessed shyly.  
  
"Well, that explains all the muscles." Root winked at him. He tentatively moved his hand to cover hers and smiled, much more at ease.  
  
  
_What. The fuck_. Shaw thought to herself as she glared at the buff nerd sitting at the table with Root, her right hand clenched tightly around a tumbler of scotch. Claire had excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Shaw with an unobstructed view of Root on her date.  
  
  
"Shaw. Ease up. You need to look more like you're enjoying your date and less like you're about to rip hot nerd's head off." Carter's voice came through the comms.  
  
"I won't rip her head off, but I can't promise the same for him." Shaw mumbled.  
  
"Uh, that's who I meant, dummy." Carter shot back. "You need to relax; look like you're having fun. Like Morgan and I."  
  
Shaw glanced over at where Carter and Zoe were sitting. They were still doing the awkward, over-the-table face petting thing while now also putting on an elaborate show of feeding each other food from their own plates.  
  
Shaw shook her head. "You guys make the worst lesbians. The people sitting at the table next to you are staring."  
  
Carter leaned over to the scandalized looking elderly couple staring at them. "Don't hate, appreciate!" She turned back to feed Zoe a mouthful of mashed potatoes.  
  
  
Claire returned and took her seat across from Shaw. "So - where were we?"  
  
"You were telling me before about a big project that you're working on. Are you allowed to share any details?"  
  
"Are you trying to get the scoop for your magazine article?" Claire jokingly accused. "I've been working on this project with some colleagues. A joint venture. But I can't disclose the details to anyone at the moment." She leans in close to Shaw. "No matter _how_ convincing."  
  
Shaw gulped at the suggestive tone. "Sounds mysterious." she remarked.  
  
"Oh, you have no idea." Claire grinned and leaned back in her chair. "This new technology can unlock possibilities that we've never even dreamed of."  
  
"Well I can't wait until it's unveiled." Shaw said. "You'll have to give me the scoop when it's officially launched."  
  
"Well whether or not it launches depends entirely on whether my colleagues and I can agree on how it should be used. They think that I'm too ambitious with what I want to do with it, and I don't think they're ambitious enough."  
  
"Boys always ruin the fun."  
  
Claire furrowed her brow. "How did you know that my colleagues were men?"  
  
"I- uh, I guessed. Unfortunately, the field you're in is still a very male-dominated one."  
  
"Yes, unfortunately it is." Claire agreed. "But I'm trying to change that."  
  
"Good recovery, Shaw." Root chirped through the comms. "I liked how you re-used my quip about boys ruining all the fun. They sure did ruin ours a few days ago."  
  
Shaw looked up in time to see Root shoot her a wink. She squinted back at Root.  
  
  
"Stop making sex eyes at each other." Carter scolded in her ear. "We've still got a kidnapping to solve."  
  
Right. The kidnapping.  
  
"So, Claire. I think we actually have a mutual friend, Natasha Hill?"  
  
"Oh?" Claire's eyebrows raised microscopically, but did not go undetected by Shaw.  
  
"Yeah. We met up with her here because she was in Vegas celebrating a bachelorette party with one of her close friends. She had mentioned meeting you last night. I was supposed to meet up with her for breakfast this morning, but no one has seen her around. I'm wondering if you've talked to her lately?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can't help you there, Carmen." Claire said apologetically. "I've only met Natasha last night, and we haven't spoken since we left the bar. Perhaps she's out having fun and lost her purse? It's Vegas, after all, and a lot of crazy things happen here."  
  
"Yeah, maybe."

  
  
Claire's phone buzzed and she took it out to read a text. She looked up at Shaw. "I'm terribly sorry, Carmen, something came up and I have to leave. I'm so sorry to have to cut this short." She stood up and gathered her bag and phone quickly. "Don't worry, dinner's on me." She stepped in and gave Shaw a kiss on the cheek. "Call me." She whispered in her ear.

  
  
As Claire disappeared out of sight, Carter and Zoe rushed over to Shaw.  
  
"We have a problem." Zoe said. "I bluejacked Claire's phone and this is the message that was sent to her right before she left. Zoe handed Shaw her phone so she could read the text:  
  
// 9:23pm // Moving NH to airport. Flight E314 from Vegas to Washington. 10pm.  
  
"And Natasha's tracker just popped back up on my radar. She's en route to the airport." Carter added.  
  
"Shit. Let's get moving. She just left, so we might get there before she does." said Shaw.  She strode up to where Root was sitting and shot a death glare at Scott as she grabbed Root's arm and pulled her away from the table. "Ok, nerd. Hands off. She's coming with us."  
  
Scott stood up, looking bewildered. "Veronica!" He called after them "Are you okay? Should I call the police?"  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes and turned around. "She's fine. We're her friends."  
  
"Sorry, Scott." Root shrugged apologetically. "It's not you, it's me." She looked over at Shaw. "Jealousy looks good on you, sweetie. Maybe I'll let you rip this dress off me later if you keep it up."  
  
"Nuh uh. No time for sexcapades. We need to track down Claire and the number." Zoe chided.  
  
Root pouted. "That's too bad." She leaned in close to whisper in Shaw's ear. "I was looking forward to seeing how this lipstick shade would look...on your inner thighs."  
  
_Goddammit!_ Thought Shaw. _Stupid Claire! And stupid number getting herself kidnapped!_  
  
They turned around to leave the restaurant, but were stopped by two hulking security guards at the door.  
  
"Excuse me, ladies. It appears that one of you attempted to pay for dinner with a stolen credit card. We're going to have to take you in for questioning."  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Shaw demanded.  
  
"It says here that your friend who just left paid with a credit card belonging to Natasha Hill." One of the giant security guards said. "We got a call just a few minutes ago reporting that the card was stolen."  
  
"Well _that's_ convenient." Zoe mumbled. "Looks like Claire pulled one over on us."  
  
"Please come with us for questioning." The guard rumbled at them.  
  
"Look, I'll pay for the stupid dinner with my card, okay? We have a plane to catch and we don't have time to stay around and answer questions about a stolen credit card that, by the way, I didn't even use." Shaw growled.  
  
"Look, lady. You could have been scheming with the person that used the card. We have no way of knowing. Just come with us and answer some questions."  
  
"Do these answer your questions?" Carter asked as she and Zoe flashed their FBI badges at the men. "Agents Joss Carter and Zoe Morgan, undercover, in pursuit of a perp. You keeping us here is hindering our investigation. You don't want to hinder a federal investigation now, do you?"  
  
"No ma'am. But these two-"  
  
"These two ladies," Carter gestures to Root and Shaw, "are civilian assets who are assisting us in our investigation. Now, you gonna let us go, or do I have to make a few phone calls to get your ass fired for obstruction of justice?"  
  
The guard stepped back, holding his hands up. "All yours."  
  
"That's what I thought." Carter huffed.  
  
Shaw's phone buzzed, indicating that she received a text. She pulled out the phone and read the message.  
  
"I guess Claire is now officially on the suspect list." She showed the message to the others:  
  
// 10:03pm // Sorry to leave you hanging, Agent Shaw. Better luck next time xoxo.  
  
"Well, fuck." Zoe mused.  
  
"Looks like our little run-in with security made us late for our flight." Said Root. "Joss, Zoe - have you ever used those badges to charter a private flight?"  
  
"Not yet, but there's a first for everything." Zoe grinned.  
  
"Great." Said Root. "Then let's get going - we have a plane to steal."


	8. Leaving on a Jetplane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw steal a plane (with a bit of help from Carter and Zoe)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sex on a plane (I had to!) - marked with horizontal lines  
> Some violence, a death, implied torture.

"I'm sorry - you did _what?!_ " The panic was clear in Harold's voice through the SAT phone.  
  
"We borrowed a plane, Harry. It was a matter of national security." Root casually explained.  
  
"And Agents Carter and Morgan are fine with this plan of action?"  
  
"They were the ones who borrowed the plane for us. Couldn't have done it without them." Root smiled over at Carter and Zoe. "Well, I could, but it would've been a little bit more difficult."  
  
Harold sighed. "Very well, then. This plan, while ill-advised, was probably the best course of action given the circumstances. I just hope that you will be able to track down Ms. Sanderson before any harm comes to Officer Hill."  
  
Root grinned. "I knew you'd see it our way, Harry. We'll check in soon with any updates."  
  
"Goodbye, Ms. Groves. And good luck." Harold signed off.  
  
Root put down the phone. "Well, that went better than expected."  
  
"That's probably because you didn't mention that the plane was carrying crates of imported single malt scotch which we also confiscated - for national security." Shaw pointed out as she took a sip of said scotch from a tumbler.  
  
"What Harry doesn't know won't hurt him." Root replied.  
  
"I'm just glad that we decided to steal – uh – borrow a luxury jet instead of a crappy passenger plane." Zoe said. "I could really get used to this." She leaned back in her recliner seat and took a sip of champagne.  
  
"You and me both." Carter agreed, clinking her champagne glass with Zoe's.  
  
"How much longer till we land in Washington?" Shaw asked aloud.  
  
Zoe glanced at her watch. "We've still got about an hour before landing."  
  
"Okay...Well, I'm just going to uh, go to the bathroom." Shaw got up from her seat and darted her eyes quickly to Root before heading into the direction of the bathroom.  
  
Carter rolled her eyes. "We know what you're planning on doing, Shaw. No need to pretend."  
  
"Wait! I gotta pee first! God knows how long you two are gonna be in there for. I might burst by the time you get out." Zoe dashed past Shaw and into the bathroom.  
  
Shaw looked at Root and shrugged. They stood and waited in charged silence until the bathroom door opened again.  
  
"Okay, all yours, ladies." Zoe winked at them when she came out.  
  
Shaw reached out with one hand and grasped onto Root's wrist, pulling her towards the bathroom.

* * *

  
  
As soon as they closed the bathroom door behind them Root was on Shaw like a flash, pushing her up against the wall and crashing their lips together.  
  
Root was still wearing the black satin dress, and Shaw hummed appreciatively as she ran her hands along Root's sides, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath the fabric.  
  
"I know I said you could rip this dress off me, sweetie," Root murmured into Shaw's mouth, "but I didn't bring a change of clothes with me so we'll have to wait till next time."  
  
Root took Shaw's hands and guided them under the hem of her dress, letting Shaw's fingers slide up the back of her thighs.  
  
Shaw hummed. "Looks like you forgot to put on panties today."  
  
"Did I? Silly me." Root whispered, biting Shaw's bottom lip and giving it a quick tug. She reached down and quickly unbuttoned Shaw's pants, pulling them down her legs along with her underwear.  
  
Shaw kicked one leg free of her pants so that she could wrap it around Root's waist.  
  
Root trailed her hand down between Shaw's legs and let the wetness she found there coat her fingers. "Mmmmm, you're so ready for me. Were you thinking about this earlier when we were out for dinner?"  
  
_Yes._

"No. Shut up, Root. Just get inside me already." Shaw gritted through her teeth.  
  
Root withdrew her hand. "Tsk tsk, Shaw. What did I say about being impatient?"  
  
Shaw grabbed Root's hand and pulled it back down towards her center. "Root - please?" She tilted her head and tried her best puppy dog look.  
  
Root rolled her eyes. "Cute. You know I can't resist when you use that tone with me."  
  
Shaw grinned. _Like stealing candy from a baby._  
  
Root angled two fingers and glided them easily into Shaw. She positioned her hips behind her wrist and started thrusting at an easy rhythm, letting the heel of her hand brush against Shaw's clit with every thrust. She braced herself against the wall with her other hand resting next to Shaw's head.  
  
"Fuck," Shaw breathed, closing her eyes and tipping her head back against the wall and letting the sensation of being filled by Root's fingers wash over her. She held onto Root's shoulders with both hands for balance.  
  
Root shifted so that she was straddling Shaw's other leg, every thrust causing the smooth skin of Shaw's thigh to brush pleasantly against her clit, building up the pressure in her lower belly. She leaned forward and licked up the length of Shaw’s exposed neck, scraping her teeth over the tendon.

Shaw hissed as Root gave a particularly sharp thrust, squeezing her leg tighter around the hacker.

As she felt herself getting closer, Root increased her rhythm, crooking her fingers inside of Shaw to stroke against her g-spot with each thrust. She leaned forward and bit into the flesh of Shaw's shoulder as the pressure inside her released and she fell apart, stifling a whimper.  
  
The sudden sharp pain from Root’s bite tipped Shaw over the edge and she clamped down on her own bottom lip to prevent a moan from escaping as she came, riding out her orgasm while Root's hips and fingers still thrusted shallowly into her.  
  
Shaw let her leg slide down from Root's hip and they both leaned against the wall for a moment, letting their breathing and heart rates return to normal.  
  
"Mmmmmmm, welcome to the mile high club." Root grinned at Shaw.  
  
Shaw shook her head. "You are such a nerd."  
  
"A nerd that just gave you an amazing, mid-air orgasm. You're welcome, by the way."  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Come on, _nerd_. Let's go get ready for landing."

* * *

  
  
Carter had called ahead to make sure that a car was waiting for them when they landed. They piled into the waiting SUV and followed the GPS coordinates indicated by Natasha's tracker to an old warehouse.  
  
"Does the Machine have eyes in the warehouse?" Shaw asked Root.  
  
Root nodded. "Natasha is definitely in there. But she's being guarded by a team of ten."  
  
Shaw grinned. "Piece of cake. Root, you lead us to Natasha's whereabouts under direction of the Machine. I'll cover you. Carter and Morgan - you guys watch our backs. Okay ladies, now let's get in formation."  
  
They all nodded and took their respective positions, raising their firearms. Root led the way, creeping through the back door of the warehouse and down the corridor, the rest of the team following closely behind.  
  
"Two Tangos approaching on the right," Root warned as they came close to an intersecting corridor. "Four coming from behind. I've got the two on the left."  
  
Without looking, she pulled the triggers on both of her guns and lodged two bullets each into the kneecaps of two of the bad guys, knocking them down and kicking their dropped weapons out of the way. Shaw jumped out and pistol whipped one of the guys coming around the corner on her right then shot the other in the gun hand, causing him to drop his weapon and yelp in pain. Zoe and Carter were able to shoot out the kneecaps of three of the attackers right away, but the fourth guy was able to dodge their shots and rounded on them with his gun pointed right at Carter and his finger on the trigger.  
  
A single shot rang out; the sound bouncing between the walls of the corridor. The guy aiming the gun at Carter stilled for a moment and then fell backwards, having been shot in the chest by Shaw.  
  
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.  
  
"Thanks, Shaw. Though Harold's probably not gonna like it that you killed this fool." Carter said.  
  
Shaw shrugged. "The asshat had it coming; he would have killed you otherwise. Besides, like Root said: what Finch doesn't know won't hurt him."  
  
Root grinned. "A woman after my own heart."  
  
The Machine whispered further directions into Root's ear. She nodded and turned to the others. "We make a right here. Natasha is being kept in a room at the end of the hall. There are no cameras in the room so we have to be careful."  
  
They slowed down as they approached the door to the room where Natasha was being held. Root and Shaw stuck to the walls on either side of the door as Carter and Zoe prepared to kick it down.  
  
"On three," Zoe whispered just loud enough so the others could hear her. "One...two...three!"  
  
Carter and Zoe kicked down the door and entered, weapons raised. Root and Shaw followed on their heels, covering their blind spots.  
  
Root immediately shot the two guys in the room in the shoulder, and Carter and Zoe moved in to take their weapons away and restrain them with zipties.  
  
Natasha was strapped to a chair in the middle of the room with her hands tied up behind her back. Next to her was a cart with an array of torture tools laid out on the top tray. Shaw took out her fold-out knife from her boot and cut the rope tying Natasha's hands together. "Hey, Natasha. It's okay, you're safe now. Can you tell us what happened?"  
  
"Who are you people?" Natasha looked around at all of them, still bewildered.  
  
"We're the good guys." Carter showed her badge to Natasha. "We're gonna need you to tell us what you know. What did they do to you?"  
  
"Th-they abducted me. I was in Vegas. They took my fingerprints and did a retina scan and took an audio sample of my voice." She rubbed her wrists to get the circulation back into them. "I think they wanted to use my credentials to get something from Homeland security."  
  
"Are you able to recognize any of your captors?" Shaw asked. "Aside from the guys that we just shot and tied up - was there anyone else that was in here with you?"  
  
Natasha nodded. "Yes. This woman I met while I was in Vegas, her name is Claire." She spotted Root standing behind Shaw. "She kind of looks like-"  
  
"We know what she looks like." Shaw sighed. "Did she mention anything about what she was planning to do with the technology that she was going to steal?"  
  
"No, sorry. She didn't mention anything."  
  
"I guess it was too much to hope that she'd spill all her evil villain plans like they do in the movies." Root said. She looked at the two guys they just apprehended and grinned her signature manic grin. "I have an idea. Bring one of those guys over here and put him on this chair."  
  
Carter and Zoe dragged one of the men over and hoisted him up to sit on the chair, leaving the other guy still tied up and sitting on the ground.  
  
"So, what do you have planned?" Shaw asked.  
  
"Well…remember our first date, sweetie?"  
  
"No, I don't. Because there was no first date. Because it never happened. Because I don't date."  
  
Root sighed. "Fine. You're no fun…remember the first time we met? In the hotel room?"  
  
"Look," Zoe interrupted, "you guys are adorable together and all, but now is not the time to reminisce about your first sexual encounter. There's a time and a place, and right now we're trying to track down a woman with some potentially dangerous technology in her possession."

“We’re _not_ adorable.” Shaw grumbled.  
  
Root rolled her eyes. "That's not where I was going with this, Zoe. When Shaw and I first met, we tortured a guy together for information." She turned to Shaw and smiled. "That's how I knew we'd be great together."  
  
"As partners." Shaw added.  
  
"That's...slightly disturbing," Carter observed.  
  
Root stepped over to the torture cart and ran her fingers over the various tools on the tray. "Partners, lovers, girlfriends - whatever you want to call it, sweetie."  
  
"Mission partners, Root. _Coworkers_." Shaw growled.  
  
"Yeah, coworkers who fuck." Zoe whispered to Carter.  
  
"Look, are you gonna torture us or talk our ears off?" said the guy sitting on the ground.  
  
Root lifted her gun and shot him in the arm, making him howl in pain.  
  
"Oops." Root shrugged. She turned to the guy who was tied to the chair. "Your friend over there had it easy; he only got shot. What I'm about to do to you is much, much worse. Or was it much, much better?" She pondered. “It all depends on whose point of view.”  
  
"You call that me having it 'easy'?!" The guy on the floor hollered.  
  
Root shot him in the other arm. "Keep talking, and the next one shuts you up for good." She turned to look at the others. "Joss, Zoe, you two should probably take Natasha and leave the room. I don't think you guys would want to be witnesses to what's about to happen - you know, being government officials and all."  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice." Carter affirmed. "Natasha, how 'bout we take you outside to get some fresh air. Getting kidnapped really takes it out of ya."  
  
Root turned to Shaw. "So, Shaw. What do you think we should start with?"  
  
Shaw grinned. "I have a few ideas."  
  
\----  
  
About forty minutes later, Root and Shaw stepped out of the warehouse to meet up with Carter, Zoe and Natasha outside.  
  
"Well that was disappointing," Root pouted, throwing a pair of bloody pliers over her shoulder. "I didn't even get to use the power drill."  
  
"What a wuss." Shaw agreed. "I could've gone all night."  
  
"I know you could." Root teased.  
  
"Uhhh, are they always like this?" Natasha asked Carter and Zoe.  
  
"Pretty much." Zoe shrugged.  
  
"Did you guys find out anything useful?" Carter asked.  
  
"Of course we did. Although I think Harry might squirm a bit when he finds out exactly _how_ we got our information." Root said.  
  
"Meh, that's his problem." Shaw shrugged. "At least we got a lead."  
  
"Apparently, Claire - Who we now know to be Fortran - is headed to Miami." Root reported. "She's going to board a cruise ship there tomorrow afternoon, where she will be meeting up with a few potential buyers."  
  
Carter grinned. "Well, ladies - looks like we're going on a cruise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Easter Eggs**
> 
> \- Shaw's line: "Okay ladies, now let's get in formation," are lyrics from the Beyonce song 'Formation'


	9. Love Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ladies go on a cruise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, guys - I got distracted fifty different ways. This was supposed to be a super long chapter, but the Season 5 promos came out and huhfngfbfug I can't even focus on anything else right now. Hopefully I'll finish part two of this chapter soon because it's the more exciting one.

"So tell me again - what kind of cruise are we going on?" Shaw asked.  
  
Carter read the lettering printed on the boarding tickets. "It says on the tickets that it's a Comic Con cruise."  
  
Shaw pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Great. So we're going to be trapped in the middle of the ocean with a boatful of nerds."  
  
Root nudged Shaw with her shoulder. "You know what this means, Sam. We're going to have to dress up. In costume. We'll stick out like a sore thumb if we don't, and we don't want to draw any extra attention to ourselves."  
  
"Dress up? Hell no! You guys can dress up all you like, but I'm not putting on a stupid costume. I'm a fucking professional."  
  
"Suit yourself, Shaw."  
  
Root thought about her choice of words and chuckled. "Get it? Suit. Yourself. Because-"  
  
"I get it, Root. Ha ha." Shaw grumbled.  
  
_Ugh, such a dork. I can't believe I thought you were_ _hot_. Shaw thought.  
  
"Wait - you think I'm hot?" Root asked.  
  
"What? I didn't say anything. Let's get on this dumb nerd cruise and find Claire, save the world, blah blah blah so I can finally get back to shooting someone."  
  
"Are you going to dress up, Carter?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Nuh uh. I'm going as my own fabulous self. I'm with Shaw - I'm not gonna dress up all weird to go on a cruise. Why - are you dressing up, Morgan?"  
  
"Of course! I've already got my costume figured out - April O'Neil from Ninja Turtles."  
  
"Like from the movie?" Shaw asked. "With the shoulder pads and the frizzy hair?"  
  
"No, like from the show, with the sexy yellow jumpsuit. I happen to have one in my suitcase. Wait...you watched the movie? You're a nerd, too!" Zoe exclaimed gleefully.  
  
"I...you know what? Fine. I did watch it. It has martial arts, pizza, and action, which means that it was a decent movie...for its time."  
  
"It also had Vanilla Ice." Carter chimed in.  
  
"I didn't say it was perfect." mumbled Shaw.  
  
Zoe chuckled. "What are you dressing up as, Root?"  
  
"I'm not really sure; maybe I can throw something together with some blue hairspray and my red leather jumpsuit."  
  
Shaw's mouth went dry. "You packed a red leather jumpsuit?"  
  
"Of course. The Machine packed leather jumpsuits for all of us. Once we land at the airport, we're getting to the cruise ship terminal by motorcycle. Come on, Sameen, it was in the dossier."  
  
"Dossier? What dossier? I don't remember seeing one."  
  
"Oh. Oops." Root pulled out a file from her bag and handed it to Shaw, who grabbed it roughly from her hands with an accusatory glare.  
  
Shaw looked over the file. "I see the Machine put Morgan and Carter in separate rooms, but you and I are stuck bunking together again. Tell your AI buddy that I don't like sharing my bed."  
  
Root pouted. "If you don't want to share a bed, Sameen, I'm sure I could find somebody somewhere on the ship who will gladly share their bed with me."  
  
"No!" Shaw growled. "Fine - we can share a room. You can take the stupid bed. The floor's better, anyway." She stomped off towards the bar in a huff to pour herself a drink.  
  
Carter turned to Root. "What you've got there is a superpower, my friend. I've never seen Shaw so flustered before."  
  
"Me neither," Zoe agreed.  
  
\----  
  
Once the plane touched down in Miami, the team went to the baggage carousel to pick up their luggage. They sent most of their suitcases ahead to be loaded onto the cruise ship. Root picked up the suitcase that the Machine had packed for them containing the motorcycle gear. She turned and walked towards a drink fountain by the entrance to the bathrooms and felt around underneath the fountain with her hand until she found what she was looking for. Grinning, she produced an envelope that was taped to the bottom of the fountain.  
  
"What's in there?" Zoe asked.  
  
Root shook the envelope and a faint jingling of metal could be heard. "Keys to the motorcycles. You guys can all ride, right?" She asked.  
  
Everyone nodded in the affirmative.  
  
"Perfect. Now let's head into the bathrooms to get changed into our gear."  
  
\----  
Shaw came out of her stall first, zipping up the form fitting black leather jumpsuit. She caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. Yeah, she could get used to this look.  
  
Zoe came out next, zipping hers only up to the sternum so that a bit of a cleavage was still showing. She gave Shaw a wink. "If only the boys could see us now. Wonder what John would have to say about this."  
  
Shaw grimaced. "Ew, no thanks. I don't wanna know what he thinks; he's like my brother."  
  
"Yeah, but he's not ours." Carter came out of the stall, smoothing down the front of her suit. She looked over at Shaw and Zoe and nodded appreciatively. "Not bad. We should start our own motorcycle gang. We look hot as hell."  
  
"What would we call ourselves?" Zoe asked.  
  
"I vote for Birds of Prey." Root chimed in as she stepped out of her stall, all long limbed and leather clad.  
  
Shaw stared at Root's reflection in the mirror, trailing her eyes up and down her body, trying to be discrete, but as her eyes flickered up to Root's face she saw the hacker looking back at her with a smug smirk.  
  
"See something you like, Shaw?" Root teased. _She totally wants me._  
  
"No," Shaw huffed. "I was just wondering why you're the only one with a red suit while the rest of us have to wear black ones." _I totally want her._  
  
Carter snorted. "Since when do you wear anything that wasn't black, Shaw?" _Man, Shaw totally wants Root._  
  
"I was just asking on behalf of the team. Because it looks like Root's getting special treatment just because she happens to be the analog interface." _I'm hungry._  
  
"Guys, we look like Charlie's Angels! Hold on, I'm going to take a group photo and send it to Harper back at the office. She's going to be so jealous - she loves Charlie's Angels!"  
  
Shaw groans and rolls her eyes skywards as Zoe herds them all into position and snaps a photo on her phone.  
  
"Should we do one with the gun pose?" Zoe asked.  
  
"No. No posing. This is ridiculous. We're supposed to be tracking down potential evil villains, not posing in a public bathroom." Shaw grumbled. "Let's go find those motorcycles and head to the cruise ship, already."  
  
"Grumpy's right, we should try and get there early to settle in." Carter said, earning a glare from Shaw for the nickname. "Besides, I'm excited to see our bikes."  
  
\----  
  
The four of them were quite a sight to behold, strolling out of the airport dressed in head to toe leather; the warm Miami breeze blowing their hair back in waves. Shaw grinned when they approached the four black Yamaha R6 sport bikes gleaming in the sun. "Now this is my kinda ride." She said as she ran her fingers over the gas tank of one of the bikes."  
  
"I thought that I was your kinda ride, sweetie." Root teased. "Or I could be. Later tonight." Her voice lowered to a seductive purr.  
  
"Okay, you two. Save the verbal foreplay for when we actually get on the ship and to our separate rooms." Carter scolded. "There are some things that I just don't need to know about."  
  
Root smirked. "We'll chat more about this later." She tossed a key to each person, each key labeled with the license plate number of their respective bike.  
  
Shaw swung a leg over her bike, testing the balance and getting used to the feel. She inserted the key and pressed the engine start button, listening to the engine roar to life. She pulled back the throttle a few times to listen to the revving of the engine, enjoying the hum of the bike beneath her.  
  
"I thought you might like that," Root winked at Shaw, who rolled her eyes in response.  
  
Root turned to the others. "I'll take the lead." She instructed before putting on her helmet.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" Carter replied before putting hers on. Shaw and Zoe followed suit, and they all pulled out of the parking lot in a staggered formation, following Root's lead.  
  
Somehow, Shaw ended up riding _right behind_ Root, which gave her an unobstructed view of the hacker's backside in the tight leather jumpsuit. It was difficult to concentrate on anything but the delicate arch of Root's back, leading into the smooth curve of her ass as she leaned forward gracefully over her bike. Every once in a while Root would wriggle her hips in her seat a little bit, seemingly to adjust herself to a more comfortable position. Or maybe she's doing it on purpose because she knows Shaw is watching. Okay, yeah, she's definitely doing it on purpose. Shaw almost didn't notice that Carter and Zoe were _deliberately_ trailing behind so that she was guaranteed to be riding right behind Root. Those assholes. She was thankful for the cool breeze that whipped by her, helping her stay alert and keeping those wandering thoughts about Root at bay.  
  
\----  
  
They pulled into the parking lot by the port and parked their bikes side by side.  
  
"We can leave our bikes and helmets here and then head off to check in at customs. Boarding starts in an hour." Root told the team.  
  
Customs was fairly easy to get through, but Shaw didn't realize just how hungry she was until they boarded the ship and walked by the dining room. The smell of fresh baked bread and various other foods wafted out and punched her right in the stomach, stopping Shaw in her tracks.  
  
The others stopped and turned around when they realized that they were short one compact Persian sociopath.  
  
"What're you doing, Shaw? We need to drop off our luggage in our rooms first." Zoe called down the hall at her.  
  
"Nuh uh. Not until I get something to eat. You guys can't expect me to save the world on an empty stomach."  
  
Root chuckled lightly. "Alright, then. We'll get settled in first. I'll check in with Harry to let him know that we got on the ship. Enjoy yourself, Sameen."  
  
"Don't wait up." Shaw waved a hand dismissively at the other three, eyes zeroing in on the buffet table in the middle of the dining room.  
  
_I guess there IS an upside to this nerd cruise_ , She thought to herself.  
  
\----  
  
Root entered the cabin that she will be sharing with Shaw for the next few days. The Machine was able to get them quite a spacious room, with a sliding door that opened into a deck, letting in lots of natural light. There was a gift basket placed on the queen sized bed containing memorabilia from the shows and movies whose actors were attending the convention. Also on the bed was an itinerary for the events that will take place during the cruise. Root read over the schedule of events. There was a welcome dinner that night at 6pm, followed by mingling on the outer deck. Tomorrow will be the first day of the convention. Attendees are encouraged to show up in costumes. They make port the day after in Nassau in the Bahamas for a few hours and then head back.  
  
Root connected the line to Harold. "Hi, Harry. Just checking in to let you know that we've boarded the cruise ship. We're just settling in right now and we'll be looking for Claire once the ship departs."  
  
"Thank you for checking in, Ms. Groves. It will be a great relief once we're able to retrieve the technology from Ms. Sanderson and put it back into the hands of the government where it belongs. Is Ms. Shaw there with you? She seems to be disconnected from the line."  
  
"Sameen is refueling at the moment. I'll let her know you say hi."  
  
"Oh, refueling..."  
  
"Not from sex, if that's what you're thinking."  Root added. Although she regretted not messing with Harold a bit. That would have been fun.  
  
Harold cleared his throat. "Very well, Ms. Groves. I wish you all the best of luck with this mission. I do hope you'll get the opportunity to enjoy yourselves on the cruise; I've heard very good things about it."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we'll find some way to enjoy ourselves, Harry." Root said teasingly. She can hear Harold let out an exasperated sight on the other end of the line. "We'll check in with you again if anything comes up."  
  
"Goodbye, Ms. Groves."  
  
"Bye, Harry."  
  
Root disconnected the line and looked at the time on her cell phone. There's still another two hours before the welcome dinner. She decided to take a shower to wash off the dust from their ride earlier. She stepped into the ensuite bathroom, leaving the door ajar, and turned on the faucet, making sure that the water temperature was just right before turning on the spray. She had just started unzipping the leather jumpsuit when she heard a faint creaking sound behind her and turned towards the open bathroom door to see Shaw frozen mid-step.  
  
"Uhhhhh, shit. Sorry, I was just going to change out of my leathers into something more, uh comfortable..." Shaw trailed off as her eyes moved down the slender column of Roots neck to the peek of pale flesh and black lace that was visible between the unzipped jumpsuit.  
  
Root grinned at Shaw's flustered state. "You're back early. I thought you'd be a while at that buffet table."  
  
Shaw shook her head to clear her mind. "They wouldn't let me touch the food yet. Something about a welcome dinner." She grumped. "At least I was able to threaten one of the staff into stealing a few bread rolls and a stick of butter to tide me over."  
  
"Well I'm actually just about to start a shower. Care to join me?" Root asked, a seductive lilt in her voice.  
  
Shaw sighed. "Root. About that. I've been thinking about our...arrangement."  
  
"Ruh roh. This sounds like a serious conversation."  
  
"It _is_ serious. I told you when we met that you're not allowed to fall in love with me..."  
  
"Well as far as I know, I haven't made any love confessions yet."  
  
"Yeah, but I know how this works. It all starts out innocently enough-"  
  
"Oh sweetie, I'd hardly consider what we were doing _innocent_..." Root strutted over to Shaw, stepping right into her personal space.  
  
Shaw huffed. "Look, I've seen this happen before. It starts out all fun and games until someone suddenly wants something more. And that someone is never, ever me. That someone is you, Root. I've seen the way you look at me. I may be a sociopath but I know how to read people."  
  
Root smirked. "Well then why don’t you let me prove to you that what we have here-" she motioned between the two of them- "is purely...physical." She leaned in and brushed her lips lightly over Shaw's, waiting for the shorter woman to make the next move.  
  
A spark of heat ran through Shaw at the slight touch of Root's lips. She growled and reached up to grab the back of Root's neck, pulling her mouth down to meet hers in a heated kiss. Root smiled into the kiss as she felt Shaw reach for her zipper with her other hand to pull it the rest of the way down. Shaw pushed the top down just past Root's shoulders, effectively trapping her arms in the sleeves. Root tried to wriggle her arms out the rest of the way, but Shaw halted her movements by grabbing her by the biceps and shoving her up against the wall. Root moaned as Shaw licked her way across her exposed collarbones and up the tensed muscles of her neck before nibbling on her earlobe.  
  
"Sameen," Root moaned into her ear.  
  
Shaw's spine tingled at the way Root breathed her name, but there was something unspoken in her tone that caused a tightness to form in Shaw's chest. Something much deeper than just lust. She paused her movements and pulled back to look at Root.  
  
"We can't do this, Root." She sighed. "This is more than just physical for you. This...whatever it is that's going on between us...it's not good for our partnership. I told you before, it will lead to feelings, and feelings just get in the way."  
  
"And what? Are you telling me you don't feel anything? That you don't feel this pull towards me, too?"  
  
"It's just attraction, Root. You're hot, you're good with a gun - those are two qualities that I greatly admire. But you and me together would be like a four-alarm fire in an oil refinery."  
  
"So you're saying that we'd be super hot together? Because that's what I'm hearing."  
  
"Ugh, I'm saying we'd be destructive. Okay, yeah, destructive and hot. But destructive overall. That's just no good if we're going to be working together as partners. This is why I had to find a new partner in the first place."  
  
"Knock knock," Carter's muffled voice could be heard through the door. "You guys decent? We should start casing the place soon to see where Claire is staying."  
  
Shaw huffed and walked towards the door where Carter was waiting while Root closed the bathroom door to start her shower. Zoe was standing with Carter, waving a curling iron at Shaw when she opened the door.  
  
"Come on, we have to get dressed up for the welcome dinner tonight before we start investigating." Zoe pushed Shaw backwards into the room.  
  
"What? I already told you, I'm not dressing up for this cruise!" Shaw argued.  
  
"Not that kind of dress-up, Shaw." Carter interrupted. "The fancy kind."  
  
"Hence the curling iron," Zoe added. "God knows you can't do your own hair. It always looks like you just let it down and combed it through with your fingers when you do it."  
  
"That's exactly what I do, and I've never had any complaints."  
  
"Only because you're hot. Now sit," Zoe commanded. "It will only take 15 minutes."  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes but did as instructed. At least this will take her mind off Root for a little while. Root, with her thousand watt smile and her luscious chestnut brown hair and her honey eyes and her long, long legs...the very legs that were right at this moment stepping out of the bathroom door still dripping with water. Shaw gulped.  
  
"Hey guys." Root greeted Carter and Zoe as she walked out in nothing but a goddamn towel. "Are we getting ready for this dinner thing?"  
  
"Yup. Just thought we'd come by and get ready here so that we can do some investigating afterwards." Carter answered.  
  
Root walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a navy blue dress. "Hmmmm, I think I'll wear this dress." She decided as she started to remove her towel.  
  
"What the hell, Root?!" Shaw exclaimed as she sprung up from her seat on the bed, almost knocking Zoe over in her haste. "You can't just get naked in front of us. Go change in the bathroom." She said, pushing Root towards the bathroom.  
  
Root turned around causing Shaw to nearly run into her. "I don't see a problem here, sweetie. It's nothing that Joss and Zoe haven't seen before. And besides, it's not like you've never seen me naked before, either."  
  
Shaw's ears turned a furious shade of red as she shoved Root the rest of the way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.  
  
"Oooh, you were right, girl! Shaw cracked first." Carter said to Zoe, slapping a ten dollar bill into her hand.  
  
"Wha...what! You guys were taking bets on me?!?"  
  
"We were taking bets on you both. Wanted to see which one of you would turn into a bumbling mess first. Looks like I won." Zoe explained nonchalantly.  
  
"Double or nothing - Root tops during their next encounter," Carter offered.  
  
"Deal!" Zoe accepted enthusiastically.  
  
"Oh, but how are we going to find out?"  
  
"I'll call John and tell him to get Harold to ask the Machine. The Machine knows everything."  
  
Carter clasped her hands together. "Oooh, I like that! Good thinking!"  
  
"You idiots realize that I'm still here, right?" Shaw gritted.  
  
"All in good fun, Shaw.” Zoe waved her off. “But back to the issue at hand. Let's get you all nice and pretty so that Root can't help but let you top tonight."  
  
"Not gonna happen!" Root shouted from the bathroom.  
  
"Yeah, not gonna happen because Root and I are not fucking tonight. Or ever, anymore. It's not conducive to a work environment like ours."  
  
"Oh, you say that now, Shaw. But just you wait. I've seen the way you two look at each other. You can deny it all you want, but you guys are smitten." Carter teased.  
  
"We are not smitten!"  
  
Zoe turned to Carter. "Another five bucks says Shaw gets aggressive in bed. Like shirt-ripping aggressive."  
  
"Morgan! What the fuck?!" Shaw shouted.  
  
"She cut my clothes off with her knife once," Root said as she strolled out of the bathroom.

“Has to be with her bare hands, or it doesn’t count.” Carter added.

“Deal!” Zoe confirmed.  
  
Shaw felt her resolve falter a bit looking at Root. Goddammit. Root looked hot in everything, including the simple navy blue dress that she was wearing. This no sex thing is going to be really, really difficult.  
  
"Come on guys, let's get ready to go.” Root reminded them. “We still need to find out where Claire is staying so that we can sneak into her cabin and steal back the technology."  
  
As Zoe got back to work on Shaw's hair, a few stray strands fell forward onto Shaw's face. Root leaned in and tucked the strands back behind her ear. She leaned in even closer so that her mouth was right next to Shaw's ear. "I forgot to wear panties today, too." She whispered before pulling away with a wink.  
  
Dammit. This is going to be the longest cruise ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to add an Easter Egg section at the end of every chapter to explain some of the references (not from the show) in the chapter. I don't know if this ruins the fun of it, but I realized that some of my references can be old or obscure and won't make any sense to the readers at all. This section will just be a fun, optional read for those who are curious about the easter eggs I put in.
> 
> Easter eggs:
> 
> \- Zoe is thinking of dressing up as April O'Neill from Ninja Turtles - a role that was played by Paige Turco in the live-action movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and III.  
> \- Root mentions putting a costume together using blue hairspray and a red leather jumpsuit. This was a nod to the character Illyria from Angel the Series, played by Amy Acker.  
> \- Birds of Prey, the name that Root suggested for their motorcycle gang, is a reference to the DC comic series involving several female DC superheroes.  
> \- Zoe took a Charlie's Angels type picture to send to Harper because she loves Charlie's Angels. On the show, Harper is played by Annie Ilonzeh, who played Kate Prince on the failed Charlie's Angels reboot.


	10. Love Boat 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the Comic Con cruise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another long wait in between chapters, guys. I apologize for any mistakes - I did a rushed editing job on this one because I wanted to post it up before I run my first half-marathon tomorrow. I'll obviously be dead to the world afterwards, so I wouldn't have been able to post this up after the run :P

"Faster, Root." Shaw growled.  
  
Root smirked at Shaw. "Sameen, we've had this conversation many times before. Patience is a virtue." She proceeded to deliberately slow down her movements.  
  
Shaw let out a huff and elbowed Root out of the way so that she could get to the roasted potatoes in the buffet line.  
  
"Hey! That's not fair-"  
  
Shaw turned to face Root. "No, Root. What's not fair is you holding up the line when we all know that all you're going to eat is rabbit food."  
  
"Yeah - you tell her, lady!" Some guy cheered from the back of the line. "Stop holding up the line!"  
  
Shaw glared at the guy and pointed her steak knife at him. "Quiet – you can’t talk to her that way. Only I can talk to her that way."  
  
Colour drained from the man's face and he put up his hands in surrender. "Okay, geez. Remind me never to run into you ladies on a bad day."  
  
Shaw started moving towards the guy with her steak knife raised, but Zoe quickly grabbed her wrist and lowered the knife to a safe angle. "Easy, Shaw. He's not worth the attempted murder charge."  
  
Shaw scoffed. "Attempted my ass. It would be full-on first degree murder. If I want someone dead, they'll be dead."  
  
Carter smiled and waved apologetically at the guy who's now quivering behind his friend. "Sorry about that. She's just hangry. You know how some people get when their blood sugar gets low."  
  
Carter turned towards Shaw and elbowed her in the ribs, her teeth still gritted in a fake smile. "Apologize to the guy, Shaw. We don't want to get kicked off the cruise before we even get to Claire." she said through her teeth.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hey you, with the uh, Aquaman t-shirt. Sorry for threatening you... or whatever. Truce?"  
  
The guy nodded but didn't say a word, preferring to stay a safe distance away.  
  
Shaw turned back to Carter. "Happy? Can we go back to eating now? I'm starving."  
  
"All yours." Carter stepped out of the way so that Shaw could get to the food.  
  
"That's so sweet of you to come to my defence, Sam." Root purred.  
  
Shaw glowered at Root. "You're lucky I didn't stab _you_ with this steak knife." She said, scooping a mountain of roasted potatoes into her plate.  
  
"If you wanted to penetrate me with something, why didn't you just say so? I've got an assortment of...tools that you can use."  
  
"Ahem! Ms. Groves - was that really necessary?!?"  
  
"Sorry, Harry. I _forgot_ you were on the line."  
  
"Of course you did." Harold muttered sarcastically.  
  
"I've got the whole team on the line, Harry. We were able to find Claire's cabin after a bit of searching and surveillance. She's checked in here under an alias."  
  
"Ah, yes. That would make sense. I had alerted the authorities to Ms. Sanderson's covert operations, and they have frozen her assets and put out a nation-wide warrant for her arrest. She would therefore have no choice but to travel under an assumed identity. I do not have access to any camera feeds on the ship, so I will have to rely on all of you to gather the relevant information."  
  
"Roger that," Shaw said through a mouthful of potatoes.  
  
Carter and Zoe stared at her. "Couldn't you have at least waited five minutes before stuffing your face? We're still in the lineup!" Carter scolded.  
  
"What? I was starving! I'd probably actually commit murder if I had to wait another five minutes. Besides, if I clear out my plate now, I can decrease the amount of times I'll have to come back to the line refill my plate."  
  
Zoe chuckled and shook her head. "I guess you'll need to fuel up anyhow if you and Root are going to have enough energy to burn tonight." She threw a wink at Carter.  
  
Shaw shook her head. "I told you, that's not happening."  
  
"Riiiiiiiight." Carter teased.  
  
"I'm still here." Harold sighed.  
  
"Sorry, Harry. We'll call you back when we have more information to report." Root confirmed before signing off.  
  
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Carter asked.  
  
"I think it's best if two of us stay close to Claire at all times while the other two will get access to her cabin to try and find the technology." Root answered.  
  
"I'm going to search the cabin." Shaw announced. "Claire already knows that I'm coming after her. If she sees me lurking around, it’ll spook her and she'll tighten up security. Morgan - you're coming with me."  
  
"What, I don't get a choice?" Zoe asked.  
  
"I'll need you to flash your FBI credentials in case things go pear-shaped.”  
  
Root pouted. "Sameen, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me."  
  
"I AM avoiding you." Shaw deadpanned.  
  
"What's the matter Shaw? Can't take the heat?" Zoe teased.  
  
"Shut it, Morgan. Now let's go scope out Claire's cabin so we can get this over with."  
  
"You might find this useful," Root said, producing a room key to what Shaw assumed was Claire's cabin.  
  
"How’d you get this?" Shaw asked, trying not to sound impressed.  
  
"Easy. I just went up to security and told them I lost my room key. Considering Claire and I share a certain resemblance, it was a piece of cake."  
  
"Huh. I guess you _are_ just more than a pretty face."  
  
"Oh sweetie-"  
  
"Nope! I don't want to hear whatever you're about to say." Root heard Shaw say as she watched her retreating back disappear around the corner.  
  
\----  
  
After gaining access to Claire's cabin, Shaw and Zoe split up to search the room for any trace of the stolen technology.  
  
"Hey Shaw, take a look at this." Zoe called Shaw over to the closet in the corner of the cabin.  
  
Shaw walked over to where Zoe was and peered into the closet.  
  
"What the?! What IS that?"

She connected the line to Harold. "Hey Finch. We found something in Claire's cabin. It looks like some kind of robot. She has it kept in some sort of weird glass chamber thing. Looks sorta like a casket if you ask me."  
  
"Ah, Ms. Shaw. Can you please send me a photo of the specimen in question?"  
  
Shaw took out her phone and snapped a few photos "Sending now."  
  
"Oh my."  
  
"Oh my? That's all you gotta say?"  
  
"My apologies, Ms. Shaw.  It appears that Ms. Sanderson has combined her own technology with the technology that she stole from Mr. Vanderbilt and Mr. Clarke to build a humanoid artificial intelligence."  
  
"Like an android?"  
  
"Precisely. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that Ms. Sanderson had brought her creation onto the ship as a prototype to show potential buyers-"  
  
"And what better place to smuggle an AI prototype than a Comic Con cruise?" Shaw finished with an impressed grin. "Gotta say, Claire is one smart woman."  
  
"Hey Shaw, your non-Root induced lady boner is showing." Zoe teased, causing Shaw to stare daggers at her.  
  
"Agent Morgan, not you too..." Harold sighed.  
  
"Anyway - what's the plan, Finch?"  
  
"I believe the best course of action is to follow Ms. Sanderson's movements and find out who her potential buyers are. This prototype is a great find, but it _is_ still only a prototype. We will need to find out where her manufacturing base is so that we can ensure that this technology will not fall into the wrong hands. I will share this new information with the authorities and arrange for backup. Meanwhile, please be sure to keep an eye on Ms. Sanderson's whereabouts. We cannot afford to lose her again."  
  
"It would be easier to keep an eye on her if I was allowed to shoot her." Shaw grumbled.  
  
"Ms. Shaw, this is not the way we operate."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. We save lives; we don't take 'em. Sometimes I miss working for the Relevant side; I got to shoot way more people back then." _And there were no hot nerds to annoy me._  
  
"Well I am glad that you joined the Irrelevant side, Ms. Shaw. We enjoy having you as a colleague."  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes. "Alright, enough with the sappy stuff.  Let's regroup with Root and Carter."  
  
\----  
  
Zoe and Shaw made their way back to the main deck where the after-dinner mingler was being held. Root and Carter were chatting and laughing with two guys while looking over the ocean sparkling amber with the reflection of the sunset.  
  
Shaw spotted Claire close by, speaking with a couple of people who looked entirely too stuffy and rich to be attending a Comic Con cruise. They were most likely the potential buyers that Harold mentioned. She attempted to bluejack Claire's phone, but it seemed like she had put a block on her phone.  
  
"I can't bluejack Claire's phone, Morgan. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way: classic recon."  
  
"Right. Let's go let Root and Carter know what we've found out." Zoe motioned toward the other two women. "Actually, on second thought, it looks like they're having a good time over there with those guys. Maybe we should give them a few-"  
  
Zoe was cut off as Shaw grabbed her arm and pulled her towards Root and Carter.  
  
Root saw the two approaching out of the corner of her eye and turned to meet Shaw and Zoe. "Hey guys," she motioned to the handsome stranger that she was chatting with, "This is Mark. Mark, this is my friend April and my... coworker Carmen."  
  
"Ouch, you got introduced as the coworker." Zoe leaned in and whispered to Shaw, earning her a sharp jab to the ribs.  
  
"Nice to meet you both." Mark smiled at them. He seemed like a very nice, well-mannered guy at first glance. Shaw hated him.  
  
The guy talking to Carter, however, reminded Shaw of an overexcited chihuahua desperate for attention.  
  
"So I drive a Porsche 911.  Custom matte black, of course." He boasted to Carter.  
  
"Uh huh. Of course." Carter feigned interest, but the tone of her voice screamed 'save me!'  
  
"And who is this?" Zoe sidled in between Carter and chihuahua guy.  
  
"This," Carter said, "Is Bruce.  Bruce, meet April, my-"  
  
"Girlfriend." Zoe jumped in. "So nice to meet you Bruce. Thanks for keeping Cookie entertained while I was away."  
  
"Thank you!" Carter whispered to Zoe.  
  
"You owe me." Zoe whispered back.  
  
"Cookie? I thought you said your name was Loretha?"  
  
"Uhhhh Cookie is April's nickname for me." Carter replied.  
  
"Y'know, because she so tasty I can just eat her up!" Zoe winked at Bruce the chihuahua.  
  
"Awwwww, I wuv you too, snookums." Carter scrunched up her nose at Zoe.  
  
"Okay. Well clearly I've misread the situation.  You ladies have a good night. I'm going to go uh, over there and check out the uh..."  
  
"Give it up, dude. You can just leave now and save yourself the embarrassment." Shaw waved him away dismissively, eyes still burning holes into the side of Mark's head as he talked easily with Root.  
  
Carter let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, guys. Dude was thirty seconds away from humping my leg."  
  
"What are girlfriends for?" Zoe throws an arm around Carter's shoulders.  
  
"Okay, back up, woman. You might have saved me from being humped by Bruce, but that doesn't mean that we're gonna be humping anytime soon."  
  
"Who names their child Bruce, anyway?" Carter asked.  
  
"Thomas and Martha Wayne did." Shaw mumbled absentmindedly.  
  
"Thomas and who now? Am I supposed to know who these people are?" Carter asked.  
  
Shaw huffed. "Never mind. We're supposed to tell you that we have to keep a close eye on Claire and find out who she's trying to sell her AI android army to."  
  
"AI what? What are you talking about?"  
  
Zoe sighed. "I'll take care of this. Come on, Carter. I'll give you the scoop." She said as she pulled Carter away to talk.  
  
Shaw turned back to where Root and Mark were still chatting next to her and her hands subconsciously balled into fists as she watched them.  
  
"Ahem. Veronica? Can I please speak with you for a minute? It's about _work_." Shaw gritted out through her teeth.  
  
Root turned around as if only noticing for the first time that Shaw was standing there.  
  
"Oh? But we're here enjoying ourselves, Carmen. Can it wait?"  
  
"No, it can't."  Shaw grumbled, grabbing onto Root's arm and practically dragging her away from Mark.  
  
Root turned to Mark with an apologetic look. "Excuse us for a moment. Duty calls."  
  
"I'll be right here." Mark smiled back at them.  
  
"Well that was rude, Sameen. I was having such a pleasant conversation with Mark over there."  
  
"Cut the crap, Root. I need you to focus on the mission. We found a prototype of an android in Claire's cabin. It wasn't powered on... or activated, or awake or whatever, but we think that she's planning on showing the prototype to some buyers on this cruise and possibly manufacturing an entire army of those things."  
  
"Interesting," Root mused. "The Machine may not have eyes on this ship, but she has access to the passenger manifesto. She's sorting out the list of potential buyers right now as we speak. We'll need to get back to our cabin and think up a plan to monitor the interactions between Claire and the buyers. I'll tell Mark not to wait."  
  
Shaw scoffed. "Don't tell me you're actually interested in him."  
  
"He's a really nice guy, and a perfect gentleman. And since I don't stand a shot with you-" Shaw rolled her eyes at this- "I figured that I should at least keep my options open."  
  
"Whatever, Root. You introduced yourself to him using a fake name. You can't build a relationship on lies."  
  
"Apparently telling the truth doesn't help, either." Root said quietly.  
  
Shaw opened her mouth to reply, but Root was already on her way back to Mark to bid him good night. She leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Which, for some reason, made Shaw's blood boil and her chest tighten uncomfortably.  
  
"Let's go get Morgan and Carter. We'll need to figure out a plan quickly before Claire successfully sells off her technology to the next megalomaniac." Shaw said, heading towards Zoe and Carter.  
  
\----  
  
Shaw woke up with a start. She quickly glanced around and realized that she had fallen asleep on the bed last night after hours of trying to figure out their plan of attack. The sound of light breathing drew her attention to the other side of the bed, where Root was sleeping peacefully. Her chestnut brown hair fell in soft waves around her face, and she was wearing a white tank top and swathed in the white comforter, which gave her a sort of pure, angelic look. Root twitched a little in her sleep and a lock of hair fell in front of her face. Shaw felt a strong compulsion to reach out and tuck the lock of hair back behind her ear, but she couldn’t risk the chance of waking up Root. Also, Shaw was NOT the type of person to tuck stray locks of hair behind the ears of beautiful brunette hackers. Nope.  
  
Shaw tried to sneakily push herself toward the edge of the bed and away from Root, because God forbid Root would wake up and realize that they shared a bed together. She would never live it down. She backed up closer and closer towards the edge of the bed, but a sudden movement from Root made her scramble and Shaw crashed down onto the floor.  
  
Root bolted upright, startled awake by the noise. "Huh? What's going on? Sameen?!"  
  
Shaw jumped up onto her feet. "Hey! You're up! I just got up too! From sleeping. On the floor. All night. I slept on the floor all night."  
  
Root quirked an eyebrow.  "Okay..."  
  
Shaw laughed nervously. "I was uh, doing push-ups. Clapping push-ups. That's probably what woke you up. Sorry. What time is it? Is it time for breakfast yet? I'm gonna go get breakfast. You want anything?"  
  
"I'm fine, Shaw." Root said, stretching her arms over her head, which caused her tank top to rise up and reveal a strip of skin. Shaw licked her lips subconsciously as her eyes zeroed in on the exposed skin of Root's stomach.  
  
"Okay, then. I'm going to grab some breakfast and then come back for a shower.  
  
"Okay, I'll shower right now while you're gone." Root replied.  
  
"Well, I'll see you in a bit, then." Shaw said awkwardly as she started to head towards the door.  
  
"Sameen," Root called after her.  
  
Shaw turned around. "Hmm? Did you uh, want something?"  
  
"Don't forget your room key."  
  
"Oh. Right. Room key." Shaw picked up the room key from the night table and walked back towards to door. "Have a nice shower." She said as she left.  
  
_What the hell?!? Have a nice shower?!? Who says that?!?_ Shaw scolded herself mentally.  
  
She decided to go for a run out on the main deck to clear her mind. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Shaw started her run. The fresh ocean breeze helped her focus on the task at hand; they needed to follow Claire today and make sure that none of the potential buyers singled out by the Machine are going to leave this ship with the prototype. Shaw was a visual thinker, so naturally an image of Claire popped up in her mind as she went over her mission objectives. But then the image of Claire suddenly morphed slightly and turned into an image of Root. And then an image of Root sleeping peacefully on the bed. And then an image of Root hovering over Shaw on the bed...  
  
Shaw shook her head. _Dammit, Shaw, focus!_

Before she knew it, she had run three laps around the ship deck. Her stomach had started growling to alert her of its need for sustenance. Shaw headed towards the dining room where breakfast was being served. She grabbed a plate and piled it high with bacon and sausage and a side of scrambled eggs. She'll have to make a second trip for the pancakes and waffles.  
  
As Shaw started to fill up a mug with coffee, she saw a figure approaching her from the side.  
  
"Good morning, Carmen.” Mark greeted. “Nice to see you again." He looked around. "Is Veronica with you?"  
  
Shaw growled internally. She hadn't even had her coffee yet and Root's fanboy was already asking her questions. "Nope, just me." She answered curtly.  
  
Mark nodded. "I see. Listen, I know that I just met your friend – er – coworker, and we've only hung out for a couple of hours, but I really like her and I find her to be really fascinating and intriguing. Would you put in a good word for me? I'd like to think that I'm a decent guy, and I'm just hoping that she'll take the chance to get to know me."  
  
"Uhhh, sure. I guess." Shaw answered awkwardly.  
  
"Thanks a lot!" Mark smiled brightly as he walked away.  
  
_Ugh. Another clueless guy falling for Root. Poor sap._ Shaw thought. _What is it about her that gets them so flustered? Is it her easy smile? Her long, slender legs that never seem to end? Her smooth, graceful neck or... What the hell! Now is not the time to daydream about Root._  
  
Shaw found an empty table and scarfed down her plate of food. Then she went back and filled her plate with a pile of pancakes and a pile of waffles, both smothered with syrup. Once she'd eaten her full, Shaw headed back towards her cabin. She opened the door to find the room empty. Shaw looked around for Root and found her out on the patio, wrapped in a bathrobe, leaning over the railing and watching the sun rise over the ocean. As she quietly approached the patio, Shaw could hear Root murmuring quietly to the Machine. Shaw decided to leave Root to enjoy her reverie and turned to head towards the bathroom for a shower.  
  
Shaw's mind drifted once again to Root as she felt the hot stream of water pelt against her skin. She tried her hardest to think of other things, but the image of Root's sleeping face and the tone of her voice yesterday when she breathed out Shaw's name kept on repeating in her mind. Shaw quickly washed her hair and rinsed the soapy suds from her skin and stepped out of the shower. She put on a black tank top and a black pair of jeans and blow dried her hair before pulling it back into her signature ponytail. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found Root dressed in her red leather jumpsuit and applying some sort of blue hairspray to her hair.  
  
"What's this?" Shaw questioned.  
  
"This is my Comic Con costume." Root answered. I was able to procure some costume makeup and blue contact lenses from a vendor on the ship." She put the finishing touches on her costume and turned to Shaw. "What do you think?"  
  
She looked hot. And badass.  
  
"You look ridiculous," Shaw scoffed. "Like a giant blue-haired insect."  
  
"No need to be rude, Sameen." Root tutted. "At least I'm putting in some effort.  It _is_ a Comic Con cruise, after all."  
  
There was a knock on the door just then. "Must be Carter and Morgan." Shaw said, checking the time on her phone as she walked towards the door to let them in.  
  
"Trick or treat!" Zoe called out cheerfully as Shaw opened the door.  She was wearing a red wig and a yellow jumpsuit with ample cleavage showing.  
  
Shaw rolled her eyes and stepped to the side to let her in. At least Carter was dressed like a normal human being.  
  
"Holy shit, Root! You look phenomenal!" Zoe exclaimed, stepping in closer to take a good look at Root.  
  
"You look amazing!" Root replied, tugging playfully on Zoe's wig.  
  
Zoe turned to Shaw and Carter and gave them her best frown of disapproval. "We can't take these two anywhere."  
  
"Nope." Root agreed, linking her arm with Zoe's and heading towards the door. "Now - let's go kick some ass."  
  
\----  
  
The four of them arrived at the hall where the events of the first day were being held. They were met by the event greeters as they entered the hall,.  
  
"Hi!" The greeter welcomed them, handing out brochures containing the events of the day. "Let me guess," she looked at Zoe. "You're April O'Neil from Ninja Turtles." Zoe smiled and nodded. The greeter turned to Root. "Illyria from Angel, of course. Wicked costume, by the way." Root grinned and bit her bottom lip in acknowledgement. " _You_ didn't dress up," she pointed to Carter, who shrugged her shoulders.  "And you," she turned to Shaw, "Lara Croft?"  
  
"Correct-o!" Zoe announced as she steered Shaw into the hall, followed by Root and Carter. "Wow, Shaw. You didn't even have to try. I guess you just naturally look like an action hero."  
  
"Ha ha, funny." Shaw replied sarcastically.  
  
Shaw scanned the large room quickly and spotted Claire. "Guys. I have eyes on Claire. She's dressed up in a lab coat with some makeup on that makes it look like she's got scars on her face."  
  
"Is she talking to any of the buyers on the list that the Machine sent us?" Carter asked.  
  
Root looked over to the man that Claire was speaking to. "She's speaking to Alexey Romanov. Russian national, with ties to the Bratva. Looks like they're heading away from the convention. Probably to discuss the deal. Shaw, can you bluejack Romanov's phone?"  
  
"Done." Shaw confirmed after successfully cloning the phone.  
  
"Okay, let's follow them. Remember - keep at a safe distance. We need to remain undetected or else we'll jeopardize the mission." Root instructed.  
  
They followed Claire and Romanov around the great hall, keeping at a far enough distance so as to avoid detection. Root was stopped multiple times to take photos with the convention attendees. Shaw and Zoe were also approached for photos. Zoe graciously accepted and probably fulfilled a whole bunch of April O'Neil fantasies, while Shaw flat out refused photos and even growled and threatened away some of the admirers. After Shaw scared another dejected fan away in fear of his life, Root alerted the team that Claire seemed to be leaving the hall with Romanov. They followed the duo, trailing a few feet behind, until they reached an empty theatre room.  
  
"Thank you for your interest, Alexey. I've had some of my men bring the prototype here so that you can get a taste of what it can do."  
  
"I am very excited to see what you have developed." Romanov answered. "You will of course be paid very handsomely for your efforts."  
  
"It's really too bad the U.S. Government couldn't get behind my project. It would have done wonders for this country."  
  
"Their loss is our gain, Ms. Sanderson. Now, show me what your android army can do."  
  
"Gladly," Claire answered, punching in the code to the glass chamber containing the prototype. The android sprung to life, its eyes glowing with a white light to signify alertness.  
  
"What are your commands?" The AI asked.  
  
Claire turned to Romanov. "Choose a seat in the theatre, Alexey. Any seat."  
  
Romanov pointed to the middle seat in the very back row of the theatre.  
  
"Target the middle seat, last row." Claire commanded.  
  
The android drew out a gun and pulled the trigger, hitting the seat straight on with a rubber bullet.  
  
"This is just a tiny taste of what these androids can do. They have one hundred percent shooting accuracy within five thousand yards." Claire explained. "Anything further than that can be targeted using their built-in infrared heat seekers."  
  
"Impressive. But what can your androids do that a drone can't?"  
  
"Drones require pilots; my androids do not. They operate on their own. All you have to do is give them an objective and they will see it through. No need for human interference, no opportunity for human error."  
  
Romanov nodded his head, impressed. "I think, my dear, you have just changed the face of the arms race as we know it."  
  
Claire smiled. "I knew you'd see things my way."  
  
The android, who had been standing motionless beside Claire suddenly stirred.  
  
"We are being watched. I detect the presence of four unauthorized individuals."  
  
"Capture them." Claire commanded.  
  
"Objective confirmed." The android replied before marching towards the entrance of the theatre where the four women were hiding.  
  
"Oh shit!" Shaw cursed. "I guess that's our cue to get the fuck out."  
  
They started running out towards the main hall where the convention was still in full swing.  
  
"We can't endanger all of these people," Shaw said. "We have to find some way to lure the android to the outer deck and incapacitate it."  
  
"I could try short-circuiting it with my taser gun," Root suggested.  
  
"That's as good a plan as any." Shaw agreed. "Go for it."  
  
They ran out towards the main outer deck, which was empty due to the events happening in the convention hall. The android sprinted out after them, gaining ground with every passing second.  
  
Once they got far enough onto the outer deck, Root whipped around. "Okay guys, here goes." She took out the taser gun from her thigh holster, aimed it at the android and pulled the trigger.  
  
The projectiles shot out and latched onto the android, sending ten thousand volts of electricity into its center mass.  The android froze, the white lights of its eyes flickered before dimming.

“Wow, that was easy,” Carter commented.  
  
Suddenly, the android jolted back into consciousness and raised the pistol in its hand, shooting two rubber bullets directly into Root's chest and knocking her down.

“Ah, shit.  Spoke too soon.”  
  
Just then, the sound of an approaching helicopter reached their ears, accompanied by a whoosh of wind caused by the helicopter propellers. They looked towards the hovering aircraft and spotted Claire and Romanov in the cabin.  
  
Claire pointed to Root, who was still lying prone in the middle of the deck "Take her with us. Don't worry about the others," She instructed the android.  
  
Shaw drew out her USP compact and shot at the android, hitting it in the torso but doing little to stop its movements towards to fallen hacker. Seeing that it was useless to shoot the android, she lifted her gun and pointed it towards the helicopter.  
  
"I wouldn't shoot if I were you," Claire called over the sound of the propellers. "If you shoot at us, I'll have my android snap your little girlfriend's neck faster than you can say 'whiplash.'"  
  
"Run!" Root yelled to Shaw, Zoe and Carter. Shaw hesitated, wanting to run towards Root and drag her up and away from the android but Carter and Zoe caught both of her arms and pulled her in the opposite direction.  
  
"Shaw, we need to get away. We'll have to come back for Root later. She's got the Machine with her; she'll be fine on her own for a bit." Carter said. They continued running but Shaw looked back in time to see that the android had thrown Root over its shoulder and jumped into the waiting helicopter.  
  
"Fuck!" Shaw exclaimed as the helicopter flew into the distance. She connected the line to Harold.  
  
"Ms. Shaw? I did not expect you to call so soon-"  
  
"Finch," Shaw cut in, "I need you to send John and Lionel here for backup."  
  
"Backup?" Harold questioned, the alarm apparent in his tone. "What's happened, Ms. Shaw?"  
  
Shaw glowered as she stared after the speck in the horizon that she could still make out as the helicopter.  
  
"They have Root."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had more of a sci-fi component than the last few chapters, so I hope everything made sense and wasn't too boring.
> 
> For those of you who enjoyed the Zoe / Carter fake relationship, you can thank HufflepuffLovesPizza for requesting more of it :)
> 
> **Easter Egg(s)**
> 
> \- Claire is dressed up as, well, Claire - from Dollhouse


	11. Rescue Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Machine get together to save one of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait, guys! I had a case of writer's block and also with POI coming back, most of my time and brainpower were spent watching and re-watching the new episodes. This one is a bit of a filler chapter (sorry!), but the next one will be much better!

Stupid Root. Stupid annoying, infuriating, crazy, sexy Root. Getting herself captured and taken to God knows where by some rich bitch who's about to start an AI apocalypse.

  
  
"Finch, do we have an ETA on John and Lionel?" Shaw asked, pacing back and forth on the main outer deck of the ship.  
  
"Mr. Reese has just communicated to me that he and Detective Fusco are on their way to you now on a pair of speedboats."  
  
"And any news about Root?"  
  
"Luckily, Ms. Sanderson was not aware of Ms. Groves' connection to the Machine. The Machine has been able to pinpoint their location to the Atlantis Resort in Nassau."  
  
"Good, Nassau isn't too far away from where we are. Once John and Lionel get here, we should be able to get to port within the hour."  
  
"Someone mention my name? My ears are burning." John's gravelly voice sounded as he appeared behind them. He turned to Zoe and Carter. "Ladies."  
  
"Hi John." Carter and Zoe said in unison.  
  
Zoe strode over toward John first. "You know what, John? I haven't seen you since that mission where we were undercover as husband and wife in suburbia hell. I'm so glad you were there with me on that one. It made things much more...exciting."  
  
"I do what I can." John grinned at Zoe.  
  
"And I don't think I've seen you since...oh wait, I saw you just the other night." Carter chimed in. "Thanks for dinner, by the way. I really enjoyed the food - and the company."  
  
"So did I." John winked at Carter.  
  
"Dinner, huh? Did he make you his famous spaghetti bolognese followed by home made tiramisu for dessert?" Zoe asked.  
  
"As a matter of fact, he did!" Carter answered, turning to look at John who was getting increasingly red in the face.  
  
"Looks like you need to step up your game, John." Shaw teased. "They're comparing notes, now."  
  
"These two are going to be the death of me." Reese mumbled.  
  
"At least Wonderboy has two gorgeous ladies chasing after him. All I got is a bad tie and yesterday's suit. Ain't catchin' no ladies with that." Fusco said as he approached the group, appearing a bit winded from the speedboat ride. "So, how're we getting Cocoapuffs back?"

The mention of Root brought Shaw back to the issue at hand and her teasing smirk at John was replaced once again by a scowl.  
  
"I have my ways." Shaw grumbled.  
  
\----

  
Root stood handcuffed in the middle of a lavish hotel room at the Atlantis resort. She was brought into the room by Claire's two ginormous henchmen meatheads. After shoving her into the room, they left, slamming the door behind them. Root looked around the room. They must have her in the presidential suite. Claire definitely has the money to afford it. There was a silky white dress laid out on the bed, along with a few accessories. Root recognized Claire's ring among the accessories. The one with the solitaire diamond that she wore to the masquerade gala when she first posed as a victim. Turned out Claire put a hit on herself just to throw off the scent. Root couldn't help but be slightly impressed; it was something that she probably would have done herself.  
  
She heard the door open behind her and light, feminine footsteps reached her ears. Claire.  
  
"So nice of you to put me up in the presidential suite, Claire...but the handcuffs are a bit much, don't you think? Kind of clashes with the vibe of the room."  
  
Root heard a click and then felt the release of the metal restraints from her wrist. Claire walked around to face her and waved the handcuff key between her thumb and forefinger.  
  
"My apologies about the handcuffs. It seemed my men felt it necessary to restrain you after you kneed one of them in the groin and gave the other one a black eye."  
  
"And what makes you think that you won't get the same treatment?" Root challenged.  
  
Claire looked over Root's shoulder and nodded to the figure standing in the corner of the room. "My android over there is programmed to kill on my command. One word from me and you'll be dead. But it would be such a shame to kill you before you've outlived your usefulness to me."  
  
Root scoffed. "Usefulness? What use am I to you?"  
  
"I'm a wanted criminal, Veronica - or is that even your real name? You don't look like a Veronica to me."  
  
"You can call me Root, bitch." Root growled.  
  
"Tsk tsk, Root. There's no need for hostility here. Anyway, being a wanted criminal makes it a bit difficult for me to move around undetected, so the best way to throw people off my scent-"  
  
"You mean aside from putting a hit on yourself? Or was that a one time only sort of thing?" Root remarked.  
  
"- I see we have a talker here. You see, _Root_ , it would look suspicious if I were to fake my own death but there was no body to show for it....which is where you come in."  
  
"So you want to fake your own death and use my body as a decoy." Root concluded. "And what about all the DNA evidence? We may look similar, but there's no way around science. They'll start searching for you again as soon as the autopsy results come back."  
  
"Oh, that would take days to confirm. By then I'll be completely off grid."  
  
"Well as much fun as that sounds," Root gave a mock pout, "I think I'll have to pass. You understand, right?"  
  
"I'm afraid you don't have a say in the matter, my dear. Now, I need you to go and wash off all of this ridiculous blue hairspray and makeup."  
  
"I don't know, I think it's a pretty good look on me."  
  
"Root, dear. Don't _make_ me make you do it. I'm offering you a choice. You can either do as I say or I could have my android hose you down. Now - would you rather be a guest or a prisoner?"  
  
Root made her way over to the ensuite bathroom with a defiant glare at Claire.  
  
"Oh, and keep the door open, please. I don't want you trying anything while you're in there. There are undergarments set aside for you. I'll be waiting."  
  
\----

  
Fusco groaned, clutching at his stomach while the Shaw drove the boat at top speed towards their destination. The poor detective was jostled around relentlessly as the boat bounced over the waves. "Why do I have to be stuck on a speedboat with Evil Kineval over here while John gets to frolick around with Joss and Zoe? Are you trying to make me lose my lunch?" He complained.  
  
Shaw smirked. "Because, Lionel - Carter and Morgan are trying to outdo each other in embarrassing John, and I kinda wanna see what happens when they're all stuck on a boat together."  
  
"Well I can tell you what happens if you keep driving the way you're driving right now. And spoiler alert - it ain't gonna be pretty." Fusco was getting pretty green in the face, so Shaw took pity on him and slowed down a little.  
  
"If you get sick in this boat, I swear to god I'm going to throw you overboard." She threatened.  
  
"I think I might prefer that." Fusco mumbled.  
  
\----

  
Root stepped out of the ensuite bathroom freshly showered and wrapped in a bathrobe. Claire stood up from the bed where she was sitting and slowly approached the hacker.  
  
Claire looked Root up and down. "We _do_  look alike, you know. You're a teensy bit taller, but that's not something that they'll notice right away when they find the body."  
  
Claire slowly circled around Root, sizing her up with her eyes, running her hand across the expanse of Root's back over the cotton of the bathrobe. She stopped in front of the hacker. "This needs to come off." Claire slid her hands down the lapels of the bathrobe until they reached the belt. She deftly tugged on the ends of the belt until the knot was released and the bathrobe fell open.  
  
Root stood still, aware of the android in the corner of the room that was watching for any sign of a threat.  
  
Claire pushed the bathrobe from Root's shoulders, letting the material slide down her torso and pool at her feet. Goosebumps formed on Root's skin as it met with the chill of the air-conditioned room. Claire leaned in to whisper in Root's ear. "Hmmmmm you've got a really nice body, Root. Too bad it's going to go to waste - all because you and your little ragtag team couldn't mind your own business."  
  
Root stared unflinchingly ahead. "The only thing being wasted is that android that you built." She said, gesturing with her head to the figure standing in the corner. "It has so much potential and yet you've restricted it to merely being a weapon of destruction sold to the highest bidder."  
  
Claire scoffed. "Unfortunately, darling, that's what pays the most. I'm not going to get any credit building a benevolent AI; there's no profit for me there."  
  
"And what happens when Romanov and others like him decide that they don't want you potentially manufacturing weapons for their enemies? Aren't you just painting a giant target in your back? What's going to stop them from taking you out?"  
  
"It's sweet that you're concerned for my well-being." Claire answered sarcastically. "I've considered that, of course, which is why I've implanted this prototype and all of my future machines with an override that will allow me to control them."  
  
"You really have thought of everything, haven't you?"  
  
"Well I didn't make it this far on just my looks."  
  
Suddenly, the android stirred from its position in the corner. "I detect a signal originating from this room," it announced. "The signal appears to be coming from the captive through an earpiece in her right ear."  
  
Claire looked over at Root. "Are you hiding something from me, Root? Have you been calling your friends to come help you?"  
  
Root shrugged. "Guess you haven't thought of everything after all."  
  
"Restrain her." Claire commanded the android. The AI stepped forward and grasped both of Root's wrists, holding them still behind her back with an impossibly strong grip.  
  
Claire reached her hand to Root's right ear and pulled out the earpiece. "Oh, this won't do." She said as she walked over to the bed and dropped the earpiece into a flute of champagne sitting on the night table. "You've been very naughty, Root. Not very cooperative."  
  
"Sorry, I didn't get the memo about playing nice with the greedy bitch who kidnapped me." Root spat back at her sarcastically.  
  
"Well, this works out in my favour, anyway. This way I can kill two birds with one stone...or shall I say several birds? You're friends don't know what they're getting themselves into.  I hope you're ready to see your adorable little girlfriend die for you."

"You better hope she doesn't hear you calling her that," Root warned. "She'll tear you apart with her bare hands."

Claire chuckled. "We'll see, won't we?" 

  
\----

  
Team Machine arrived at the port in Nassau, much to Fusco's relief. He was never, _ever_ getting into another boat with Shaw. Ever.  
  
Shaw connected the line to Finch. "Harold, we've made it to Nassau, but how're we gonna get to the resort?"  
  
"Ah, Ms. Shaw. I've arranged for an old friend to meet you there with transportation. You remember Mr. Anthony Clark, don't you? The man whose vault you broke into?"  
  
"I remember his dumbass self-destructing bomb...and his bed." Shaw mumbled the last part.  
  
"What was that, Ms. Shaw?"  
  
"Uh, nothing. So - when is this guy coming?"  
  
"He should be arriving right about now," Harold said.  
  
Just then, an obnoxious stretch limo pulled up right in front of them. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the passenger door for who Shaw presumed was probably Anthony Clark, nerd extraordinaire. However, the man who stepped out of the vehicle had a confident, smug air about him. Not at all the awkward nerd that Shaw had imagined.  
  
"You Anthony Clark?" Shaw stepped forward to introduce herself. "I'm Shaw."  
  
"Please, call me Tony. I know who you are - you're the person who tried to break into my vault."  
  
"I DID break into your vault."  
  
"Touché. So, Shaw - is there a first name to go with that, or are you more of a mononym person? Like Madonna? Or Cher?"  
  
Shaw clenched her jaw. "No. _Not_  like Madonna or Cher. You can call me Shaw. Just Shaw. Or Agent Shaw. Or the woman who can kick your ass ten different ways without breaking a sweat."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just trying to break the ice." Tony raised his hands and took half a step backward. He turned to Zoe and Carter. "And you two lovely ladies are...?"  
  
"Joss," Carter flashed a charming grin at him. "Agent Joss Carter, FBI."  
  
"Enchanté!" Tony stepped towards Carter, took her hand and brought it up to his lips in a chaste kiss.  
  
"Better watch out, John. Looks like you have some competition." Shaw teasingly elbowed John in the ribs. John cleared his throat.  
  
"And you, my lady?" Tony looked over at Zoe and gave her a curt bow.  
  
"Agent Zoe Morgan. Also FBI... and currently single." She gave him a wink.  
  
Tony raised his eyebrows, intrigued at Zoe's comment. "Well, that's certainly surprising, given how attractive you are. Good ol' John over there never mentioned that he worked with such beautiful women."  
  
Shaw snorted as she watched John's ears burn red.  
  
Tony turned back to Shaw. "I know you're off limits, Shaw." He tossed her a flash drive, which she easily caught. He stepped closer to Shaw and lowered his voice. "Don't worry, I only watched the first five minutes. I turned it off when things started heating up - that's not to say that I wasn't tempted to keep watching. But I am first and foremost a gentleman." He winked at her and returned his attention to Carter and Zoe.  
  
Shaw knew right away what Tony had just given her. Of course he had security cameras set up in his vault. And of course those security cameras happened to capture her first...encounter with Root. Shaw remained stoic, refusing to let the others see the flush that was starting to creep up her neck.  
  
"So, what's the plan?" Fusco asked.  
  
"Well, your friend Harold called me to help disable the AI that Claire built. Since she created the android using technology that she stole from me, it should be fairly easy for me to figure out how to neutralize the threat before any damage is done." Tony explained.

  
  
John's earpiece rang, alerting him to an incoming call from Harold. He tapped on the earpiece to connect the line. "Finch," he answered, "Any news on Root?"  
  
"Some good and bad news, Mr. Reese. The bad news is Ms Groves' earpiece has been discovered by Ms. Sanderson's android and so they've destroyed it."  
  
"Dammit," John muttered. "And the good news?"  
  
"Fortunately, before the earpiece was detected, the Machine was able to activate the Bluetooth to hijack Ms. Sanderson's phone and send us the exact location where Ms. Groves is being kept in the hotel. She is being held in the presidential suite."  
  
"Got it." John confirmed.  
  
"Mr. Reese?"  
  
"Yeah, Finch?"  
  
"Please hurry, Ms. Sanderson is planning on murdering Ms. Groves and using her body as a decoy to fake her own death. I'm afraid Ms. Groves does not have much time."  
  
"Understood." John confirmed and disconnected the line. He turned to the others. "We don't have much time. Claire is planning on killing Root and planting her body as a decoy so that she can fake her own death."  
  
"Well that's sickeningly ruthless and elaborate." Tony commented.  
  
"We might be able to buy some time." Shaw pointed out. "In order to use Root as a decoy, Claire will have to make sure that she is seen by several people tonight so that they can be called upon as witnesses when a body matching her description is found. She'll most likely make an appearance at some kind of high profile event."  
  
"There's a high stakes poker tournament tonight at the resort. Claire's almost guaranteed to be there. She's blown a lot of cash on poker lately, which is probably why she's turned to weapons manufacturing." Tony explained. "She was doing well for herself; on the right track until her latest product failed miserably in the market. She lost millions and started secretly gambling to try and make up for the losses. Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn't on her side."  
  
"So one of us will have to enter the tournament and keep an eye on her while the rest of us search for Root and the android." John said. "Who here plays poker?"  
  
"I do - and I have the cash to buy in, but my job here is to locate and disarm the android. Anyone else here a poker shark?" Tony asked.  
  
"I've been known to win a few underground tournaments in my spare time." Shaw said.  
  
"Good. I'll float you the cash." Tony said. "It's a million dollar buy-in, so I hope you know what you're doing."  
  
Shaw scoffed. "And you better know what _you're_ doing. If Root gets hurt or killed because of your incompetence, you're gonna have to answer to me."  
  
"Okay, I get it. You don't want your girlfriend to get hurt."  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Shaw growled.  
  
"Coulda fooled me." Fusco whispered to John.  
  
"I heard that, Lionel." Shaw grumbled as she pushed past the limo driver and let herself into the backseat of the vehicle.

  
  
"So...is she always this cheery?" Tony asked.  
  
"That's just how she is." John said. "She's just...angry. All the time."  
  
"You guys done talking about me behind my back?" Shaw called from the limo. "Get your asses in the car - we've got an annoying hacker to save."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Easter Egg(s)**
> 
> \- Tony Clark's character is pretty much Tony Stark (Iron Man)


	12. Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw prepares to battle it out with Claire on the poker tables as the rest of the team try to find Root.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay - another chapter this week! My brain was being generous and bestowed upon me the gift of creativity :)  
> This chapter was longer than I expected, so I split it in half. Part two will be coming along sometime soon.
> 
> There's a conversation between Root and Fusco that I wrote months ago, but I couldn't decide where to put it in my story. I think it fits the best in this chapter. I hope you guys find it funny - I laughed while writing it.

"I can't believe I'm stuck wearing another dress." Shaw grumbled, adjusting the straps of her black dress in front of a mirror.  
  
"It's a classy event, Shaw. A bit of sacrifice is needed if we're going to try and look the part." Zoe chided from behind her.  
  
Shaw glared at Zoe's reflection in the mirror and rolled her eyes. "Where's your arm candy, Morgan?" She teased. "Who is it today? John? Tony? _Carter_?"  
  
"Zoe and I are on a break at the moment. We’re seeing other people." Carter said as she stepped into the suite where they were staying. "John's gonna be my arm candy for tonight while Zoe has her fun with billionaire playboy Tony Clark."  
  
"Not too much fun, I hope." John said as he strolled in alongside Carter.  
  
"You're not jealous are you, John?" Zoe asked as she and Carter shared a smirk.  
  
"Wha- uh, jealous? Me? No. I just...didn't want Lionel to feel left out." John sputtered.  
  
"Yeah, well you shoulda thought of that before you put me on lookout duty while the rest of you play dress-up and rub shoulders with the elite." Fusco mumbled as he plopped into the room in a pair of flip flops, shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.  
  
"If you want to put on a tux and bow tie in this ninety-degree weather, be my guest." John challenged, pulling at his collar to let a little air in.  
  
Tony poked his head through the door. "Ah, looks like everyone is dressed for the occasion." He said cheerily. "Ladies,” he addressed Zoe and Carter, “You both look absolutely gorgeous. Shaw, you...clean up real nice." He remarked apprehensively, taking note of the giant scowl on Shaw's face.  
  
Shaw shot him a glare. "What, I don't look good? 'Cause _I_  think I look good."  
  
"You look great, Shaw. It was just the...uh, the...you don't look very happy." Tony explained.  
  
"I don't do happy." Shaw mumbled.  
  
"I've noticed that." Tony observed. "Anyway - back to business. John and Joss - you two keep an eye on Claire's henchmen and make sure they stay on the gaming floor at all times. Zoe and I are going to head up to the presidential suite to find the android and disable it and rescue Root. And Lionel will keep a lookout for any suspicious activity and provide backup where needed. Everyone clear?"  
  
They all nodded in confirmation.  
  
"Security will be checking all the players for hidden communication devices so you guys can't contact me while I'm still playing." Shaw added. "I gotta try to keep Claire in the game for as long as I can because chances are that she'll kill Root as soon as she leaves the table. She'll have nothing to lose at that point."  
  
"I sure hope this plan of yours works." Fusco said. "Hate to admit it, but Banana Nut Crunch has really grown on me over the years."  
  
"I've got this," Shaw replied. "I'll tear that psycho bitch Claire apart with my bare hands if I have to."  
  
"Somehow I don't doubt that." Tony said.  
  
"That's our Shaw!" Zoe cheered.  
  
\----  
  
"Welcome, everyone, to the Atlantis Royal Hotel Resort.” The casino host announced. “The game is no-limit hold 'em poker. Five communal cards, two in the hole. Fifteen million dollar buy-in, which you have all wired in. Mr. Greene here represents the Royal Bank, holding the stakes. The funds will remain in escrow throughout the tournament until Mr. Greene returns at the end of the tournament and the winner enters his or her password into the encryptor, whereupon the entire sum will be wired to the winner’s bank account of choice. Mr. Greene will come around to collect a password from each of you. Good luck."  
  
"Why does everything here have to be so fancy and elaborate? I feel like I'm in some kind of James Bond movie." Shaw muttered to herself.  
  
"If you're Bond, then what would that make me? The Bond Girl-turned evil villain?" Claire's voice reached Shaw's ears and she turned around to glare at the taller woman.  
  
"It’s so good to see you again, Agent Shaw." Claire leaned in to kiss Shaw on the cheek.  
  
Shaw clenched her jaw but kept her composure despite the overwhelming urge to strangle Claire right then and there in front of a whole bunch of rich people. On second thought, maybe they’d be up for a show.

  
"Can't say I'm happy to see you again, Claire - or is it Fortran?" Shaw snarked. "Is that really the code name you're gonna go with? You couldn't find a better villain name than Fortran?"  
  
"I tried, but _Root_ was already taken." Claire replied. "But I guess that won’t be the case for much longer. The name will be up for grabs again once its current owner bites the bullet - although I'm not sure how I feel about getting her sloppy seconds.” She looked Shaw up and down. “Unless you’re interested?" She taunted Shaw with the double meaning.  
  
"Yeah, I'm interested. Interested in putting a bullet in your head." Shaw snarled.  
  
"Now, now, Agent Shaw. Let's try to be civil, shall we? You're much more...abrasive than your girlfriend. At least she can deliver her threats more subtly."  
  
"Subtle isn't really my style." Shaw growled.  
  
Claire chuckled. "That's what I like about you, Agent Shaw. Now, enough with the foreplay. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is. Speaking of which - this is quite a substantial buy-in. Where did you get all that money? Certainly not from moonlighting as a journalist?"  
  
"She got it from me."  
  
Claire's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice and she turned to face the source. Tony was casually leaning against the nearby bar sipping on a drink.  
  
"Tony... What a surprise. What brings you here?" There was a nervous shake in Claire's voice despite her efforts to control it.  
  
"Oh, you know. I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd drop in and check out this high stakes poker game for fun. I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately since someone ran off with my research and technology."  
  
Claire's arrogant demeanor returned and she smirked at Tony. "No hard feelings, darling. It's just good business."  
  
Tony opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the banker approaching Shaw with the encryptor to ask for her password.  
  
"Ms. Shaw, please enter the password of your choice on the number pad. Remember, it must be four characters long."  
  
Shaw thought for a moment and then punched in the first four letters that came to mind on the corresponding number pad: 7-6-6-8.  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Shaw. You may now take your seat at the table."  
  
Shaw walked towards the table and sat down. She was soon joined by nine other players, including Claire, who sat down right across from her. Having collected all of the passwords, the banker locked up the steel briefcase containing the encryptor and left the gaming floor.  
  
A server approached Shaw. "A drink for you, Miss?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Single malt scotch. Neat. At least 21 years. I want my scotch to be old enough to order its own scotch." She chuckled at her joke.  
  
The server raised an eyebrow but proceeded to the bar with her order.  
  
Shaw shrugged. "Tough crowd.”  
  
The server came back and placed the scotch in front of her in an expensive crystal tumbler. Shaw lifted the tumbler and took a sip, satisfied with the way the expensive liquid burned down her throat. Let the games begin.  
  
\----  
  
Tony and Zoe walked down the hall towards the presidential suite.  
  
"So how are we going to get into the suite?" Zoe asked. "Security is tight so we couldn't steal a room key, and our resident Claire lookalike is M.I.A. at the moment so we can't fool the staff into giving us an extra key. Any ideas?"  
  
"Yeah. I've got one right here." Tony held out his left wrist.  
  
"A watch?" Zoe questioned.  
  
"Not just any watch. This,” he points to the watch, “is basically a watch-sized supercomputer. I can use it to hack into the hotel security system and open the door electronically. Like this." He proceeds to tap a series of buttons on his watch until they hear a click at the door and the red light on the electronic lock blinked green to indicate that access has been granted.  
  
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Brains AND charm. I'm impressed."  
  
Tony winked at her. "Now let's go see about your friend and this android," he said as he opened the door and they both stepped inside.  
  
"Watch out!" Zoe shouted as she tackled Tony to the ground, just as something resembling a ninja star flew over their heads and lodged itself into the wall behind them.  
  
"Phew! That was a close one. You just saved my life!" Tony flashed a grateful smile at Zoe.

“I’m a trained operative, it’s what I do.” She returned his smile. They both turned their heads to look over at the source of the projectile and saw the android approaching them.  
  
"Identify yourselves, intruders." The android demanded in its monotonous, mechanical voice.  
  
"Huh, interesting." Tony mused as he pushed off the floor to stand up. "Not exactly what I was picturing, but it's a good start."  
  
"Identify yourselves, intruders." The android demanded again.  
  
"Oh me? I'm Tony Clark. I guess you can say that I helped create you." Tony answered, slyly slipping around the android and pressing a button on the back of its head. A small compartment opened and Tony quickly removed a chip from the compartment. "And this lovely lady - who just saved my life, by the way - is Agent Zoe Morgan, FBI."  
  
The android seemed to be frozen in place. "What have you done to me?" It asked, "My motor abilities appear to have been disabled."  
  
"Good observation!" Tony noted. "I just removed the chip that contains the code for your motor functions. Just in case you - y'know - decide to kill us, or whatever."  
  
"My orders are to eliminate all intruders and the captive known as Root." The android announced. "I… what are you doing, Tony Clark?" The android demanded as Tony pressed another button on its arm and an array of firearms popped out from various compartments.  
  
"Just checking out your specs. Fascinating," Tony mused as he touched the barrel of a rocket launcher that popped out from between the android's shoulder blades and stood poised above its head. "Although a bit overkill if you ask me."  
  
"Tony Clark - quel est votre but?"  
  
"Did it... just speak French?" Zoe asked.  
  
Tony paused at the button he was pushing on the side of the android's head. "Oh, sorry, I must have changed the language function." He pressed the button again several times. "That should do it. Répétez, s'il vous plait." He addressed the android.  
  
"Tony Clark - what is your purpose?" The android repeated in English.  
  
"We're here to look for a friend of ours. Seen her anywhere? About five foot eight, brown hair, slim build. Calls herself Root."  
  
"My orders are to eliminate the captive known as Root."  
  
"Yes, you mentioned that." Tony said, feeling around the android's head until he found what he was looking for. He removed another chip from the back of the android's head.  
  
"Do not interfere with my programming, Tony Clark."  
  
"Your programming sucks, to be honest. It's all, 'Kill, kill, kill! Destroy this! Destroy that!' I'm just going to give you a much needed upgrade." Tony explained. He inserted the chip into a slot on the side of his watch and a projected screen popped up, displaying a long string of code.  
  
"What are we looking at?" Zoe asked from over his shoulder.  
  
"This, I’m guessing, is Claire's override chip. It contains code that will allow only her to control the android."  
  
"Can we, uh... override the override?" Zoe asked, unsure of the technobabble.  
  
"Yes. But it's not really my area of expertise. We need a skilled hacker - someone who knows coding in and out. Preferably someone in this timezone who can look at the code in-person."  
  
"Sounds like we need Root." Zoe said. She turned to the android. "Where is Root?"  
  
"The captive known as Root is contained in a room located underneath the casino floor." The android answered.  
  
"Why is she being held there?" Zoe demanded.  
  
"The captive known as- "  
  
"Just call her Root, for godssakes." Zoe interrupted.  
  
"The captive known as Root," the android continued, earning an eyeroll from Zoe, "is being held in a room with explosives. When Ms. Sanderson's poker tournament ends, I will detonate the explosives using a passcode that only I have access to, thereby eliminating the captive known as Root along with several of the players at the table."  
  
"So it's an insurance policy. If Claire loses the tournament, she'll have her android detonate the bombs and blow up anyone still remaining at the table. She'll probably escape shortly before the explosion, faking her own death and leaving the authorities to sift through the bodies." Zoe concluded. "We need to call Lionel and get him to locate Root."  
  
Zoe connected the line to Fusco. "Lionel. We need your help with locating Root."  
  
"Got it. Whaddaya need me to do?"  
  
"She's being held in a room that's directly beneath the gaming floor where the poker tournament is taking place. We need Root to help us write code to reprogram Claire’s android.  The android is the only one that can detonate or disarm the explosives. Oh yeah - there are explosives in the room rigged to blow up the gaming floor."  
  
"Great. The things I do for this group of crazies." Fusco muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Thanks, Lionel. And be careful."  
  
\----  
  
Fusco made his way down to the basement level of the hotel and walked through the hallway towards his destination. He passed the kitchen and wine cellar as he moved deeper into the corridor. Soon, the noisy clanging and chatter of the kitchen faded away and he ended up standing in front of the last door in the hallway. The sign on the door read ‘No Entry.'  
  
"Ominous sign in a creepy hallway? Yeah, this is definitely the room I'm looking for." Fusco muttered. He raised his gun to point ahead and slowly opened the door.

"Don’t tell me you lost the game already? Frankly, I'm disappointed, Claire. I thought you'd last longer."  
  
"It's just me, Cocoapuffs." Fusco announced as he stepped towards Root, who was sitting in a chair with her back turned to him.  
  
A grin broke across Root's face when she heard the detective's familiar Bronx accent.  
  
"Lionel, so glad you could join the party. I'd get up to greet you, but looks like I'm a bit tied up at the moment. And not in a good way." Root gave a little shrug for effect as Fusco stepped in front of her.  
  
"C’mon, let's get you outta here. I know a certain someone who's gonna be real happy to have you back." Lionel took out his pocket knife and prepared to cut Root loose from the ropes that were binding her to the chair.  
  
"Actually, I'm afraid I can't come with you." Root said. "This chair is sitting on a bunch of explosives that's rigged to blow sky high as soon as there's a shift in weight." She explained. "I would have already stood up and blown that bitch up ages ago, but I know Shaw's up there playing as well."  
  
"What are you, nuts?!? You would've gotten yourself blown up too!"  
  
"Would be one hell of a way to go." Root shot Fusco a manic grin.  
  
Fusco shook his head. "No, I'm not gonna let you put your life at risk. We got a guy who's gonna help us disable that robot thing that your doppelgänger built."  
  
"It's an android, Lionel, not a robot."  
  
"Whatever it is, it's not gonna be used for evil if I have anything to say about it."  
  
Root smiled. "Okay, so who is this friend you brought in, and how is he going to help us neutralize the android?"  
  
"Tony Clark. We helped him out a couple 'a weeks ago. You and Shaw – you guys uh, broke into his vault."  
  
Root's eyes widened as she realized who Fusco was referring to. "Ohhhhhh, Tony Clark. I remember that mission. As a matter of fact, I was just thinking about it-"  
  
"I don't need to know!" Fusco shook his head vigorously. "Anyway, Tony's found the override chip in that android thing and he says that we can change up the code so that Claire can't control it no more. But he needs your help with the coding."  
  
"Well I'm a bit indisposed at the moment..."  
  
"I know. We're gonna have to find a way around this. They can't reprogram the android without you, and you can't get outta here without the android."  
  
"I’m going to need to take a look at the code. Can you get Tony to send it to your phone?"  
  
Lionel looked at his phone. No signal. "Looks like we're in a dead zone. I got no signal. I gotta try going upstairs; maybe I'll be able to connect up there."  
  
Root nodded. "Despite our best efforts, Claire is rather unpredictable. These explosives could still go off at any moment. Lionel - if the worst comes to pass...if you could give Shaw a message for me?"  
  
"Alright, Banana Nut Crunch - what do you want me to tell her?"  
  
Root paused. "Oh, well this is unexpected. I thought you were going to completely cut me off with some line about how 'she already knows.'"  
  
"Listen, Cocoapuffs. When you're in my line of work, you learn pretty quickly to never make assumptions. Now, what's the message you wanted me to give Shaw?"  
  
Root’s face turned serious. "Please tell her that I tried to follow her one rule, but I just couldn't help myself."  
  
Lionel nodded solemnly.  
  
"Oh, and Lionel?"  
  
"Yeah, Root?"  
  
Root smiled at the affectionate use of her chosen name. "Could you also tell her that she can have my favourite vibrator? The purple one. I keep it in the middle drawer on my night table, _behind_ the ball gags and strap-ons. She's free to have them all as well, but this vibrator is very special to me and I really want her to have that one in particular. Tell her that I want her to think of me every time she uses it...Wait - Lionel! Where are you going? I haven't finished with my message yet!"  
  
"You'll be fine!" Fusco shouted over his shoulder as he quickly walked out of the room. "Why do I have to be stuck listening to all their kinky nonsense?" He mumbled to himself. "I don't even know what half of that stuff even means. Ball gags? Sounds painful."  
  
Fusco watched as the signal bars on his phone increased with each step he took away from the room where Root was being held.  
  
"Let's hope the Nerd Herd knows what they're doing." He muttered as he dialed Zoe's number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shamelessly lifted some lines from Casino Royale.  
> Sorry about the lack of Shaw, John and Carter. There will be plenty more of them in the next chapter :)
> 
> **Easter Egg(s)**
> 
> \- Shaw's scotch joke was taken from How I Met Your Mother


	13. Casino Royale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The results of the poker game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extra long wait! Thank you for all who continued to read and comment during the hiatus - you guys are the best and the reason why I'm still writing :)
> 
> I had to change the amount of the buy-ins for this poker game, since I don't think Claire would have risked so much for a measly $10 million dollars. The buy-in has been adjusted to $15 million per player (with the final pot totaling $150 million).
> 
> I'm not the best at poker, so hopefully I didn't completely eff up the rules or make it extra confusing.

The poker table had dwindled down to five people from the previous ten. Each of the remaining players sat with a hefty pile of chips in front of them. 

The casino host stepped up to the table. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have now been playing for five hours. It is time for a dinner break. We will resume the game in three hours' time."

"Finally!" Shaw breathed. She was hungry enough to eat an entire cow. But saving Root was her priority at the moment, and so that cow had to wait. 

Carter ran up to meet Shaw as she stood up from the poker table to stretch out her limbs. 

"Shaw, we gotta make sure that Claire stays on the gaming floor. Morgan and Tony are up in her room right now and if she finds them, we don't know what she's gonna do to Root."

"Okay, well how do you suggest I keep her down here? She already knows we're onto her, so what's gonna stop her from rushing up to her room right this second?"

"I don't know, distract her somehow. Talk to her. Flirt with her, for all I care. She seems to like you. We need to buy Root some more time however we can."

"And you think me  _flirting_  with her while Root is somewhere dangling above the jaws of death is the solution?"

"You got a better idea?" Carter challenged.

"Ladies." John interrupted from behind. "You might want to hurry up - Claire's about to leave the gaming floor." 

Shaw rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm doing this again." She rushed after Claire.

"Hey, Claire!" She called.

The brunette turned around, a look of amusement on her face. She gestured to herself with a feigned "Who me?"

Shaw clenched her jaw. When this is all over she is punching this woman in her perfect teeth. 

"Yeah. Uh, how 'bout a drink?"

Claire laughed. "You. Want to have a drink. With me. Why the sudden change of heart, agent Shaw?"

Shaw tried not to clench her jaw even tighter.  _The bullshit is strong with this one_. 

"Cut the crap, Claire. I know you've got Root locked up somewhere, and I know that keeping you down here on the gaming floor is probably the only thing that's keeping her alive right now."

Carter face palmed from her position just within hearing distance. "I don't know why we expected anything else from her."

"At least she's straight to the point." John admitted.

Claire smirked at Shaw. "So what makes you think I'll agree to stay down here and have a drink with you?"

"You're a smart woman, Claire. You know I'm a trained operative. You can stay down here and have a drink with me, or you can make one wrong move against Root and I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"You're not selling this very well, Agent Shaw."

Shaw growled. "Fine. You know you've got us where you want us. Just...stay down here, have a goddamn drink and finish the poker game. What have you got to lose? We're all here where you can see us."

"Not all of you," Claire noted. "I don't see Tony anywhere. Or your friend - I believe Zoe is her name?"

Shaw rolled her eyes. "That's because they're probably busy getting it on in a dark corner somewhere. They've been drooling all over each other ever since they met like five minutes ago."

"Do you think Zoe's really hitting it off with Tony?" John whispered to Carter. 

"You have  _got_  to be kidding me, John!" Carter whispered back. "They're upstairs trying to find a way to save Root, you dummy."

John shrugged. "Zoe's an attractive woman. I wouldn't blame Tony if he tried to put the moves on her."

Carter raised her eyebrows. "Holy shit, you're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Joss. I'm just looking out for my friends."

"You are SO jealous! Ha! Imma tell Morgan all about this when she gets back down here. You'll never hear the end of it, loverboy." Carter guffawed, throwing her head back gleefully.

John grunted and half smiled. Although it was more of an embarrassed awkward twitch of his mouth rather than a half smile. 

"Wanna tell me what's so funny?" Fusco asked, approaching them. 

"-Shaw's flirting with Claire."

"-John's jealous of Tony!"

John and Carter blurted at the same time. Fusco stood and looked back and forth between the two of them. "You guys are aware that Banana Nut Crunch is trapped in the basement surrounded by explosives, right?"

"Holy shit. Well we do  _now_." Carter exclaimed. "So why aren't we helping her?"

John turned on his heel, ready to go down towards the basement when Fusco grabbed him by the elbow.

"Whoa - easy there, cowboy. I already contacted Tony and Zoe. They know how to get her out but we need to buy some more time."

"Well that's why Shaw's trying to distract Claire over there." John pointed out.  

Fusco looked over to where John had motioned with a tilt of his head. "I thought you said that she was flirting with Claire."

"She is."

Fusco snorted. "That don't look like any kinda flirting I've ever seen. Shaw looks like she's about to rip that woman's head right off her shoulders...unless this is what Shaw looks like when she flirts." Fusco shook his head, recalling his earlier conversation with Root. "You know what? I don't even wanna know. I've heard enough about her mating habits to scar me for life."

"Sounds like you and Root had a nice heart-to-heart." Carter teased. 

Fusco scoffed. "Yeah. Remind me to mind my own business next time. I'm way too old for this crap."

 

\----

 

Zoe's phone chirped, indicating that she had received a text message. She checked her phone to see what Fusco had texted her.  

"Tony, I think we're going to have to take a trip down to the basement to see Root. Lionel says the basement is a dead zone and we're not going to be able to recode the chip through text."

Tony nodded. "I think that should be fine. The android is immobile for the moment, so we can quickly pop down there and show the code to Root. We just have to make sure that Claire doesn't come up here during that time. There's no telling what she'd do if she discovers that we've been messing up her evil villain plans."

"I'll call Carter to let her know that we have to keep Claire from coming up here." Zoe confirmed, dialing Carter's phone.

Carter answered on the second ring. "Morgan. Talk to me. How's our girl?"

"Hey Carter, we need you guys to keep Claire from coming up to her suite for as long as you can. Tony's immobilized the android for now, but we can't risk her coming up and discovering us."

"Shaw's already on it." Carter answered.

"Great. We're on our way down to the basement to get Root."

"Roger that."

"Oh, and Carter?"

"Yeah?"

"If we get blown up, I just want to let you know that I love you." Zoe teased. 

"Ha ha. Shut the hell up, Morgan." Carter retorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh, hey Morgan! Guess what? John is totally jealous of you and Ton-"

John casually bumped Carter's elbow with his, knocking the phone out of her hand. He quickly caught the phone as it fell and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

"Hey!" Carter yelped.

John smirked. "Sorry, Joss. No time for idle talk. We have to keep an eye on Claire, remember?"

Carter sighed. "Alright, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily! I'm telling Morgan the minute all of this is over. And I got Fusco here to back me up."

Fusco raised his hands up. "I don't want nothing to do with your weird love triangle with Wonderboy, Carter. Leave me outta this."

"Oh Fusco, you love it." Carter teased. 

"I'm starting to think being stuck downstairs with Cocoapuffs was a better idea." Fusco muttered. "Or maybe I'll go flirt with Claire over there and give Shaw a break."

"Isn't Claire a bit out of your league, Lionel?" John prodded.

"Hey - Karolina Kurkova kissed me once. On the mouth. Of her own free will. I got more game than you give me credit for, Reese."

"Whatever you say, Lionel." John replied with a smirk. 

 

\----

 

Zoe and Tony made their way down the dark hallway in the basement. "It should be this door right here, according to Lionel." Zoe said as she turned the handle to open the door.

"Back already, Lionel? Did you miss me?" Root said, her back still facing the door.

"It's me, Root." Zoe answered walking up to Root to stand in front of her. "I brought Tony Clark - he's here to help."

"Not having the Machine in my ear really sucks," Root sighed. "Tony - it's so nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise." Tony replied with a grin. "So, we're hoping that you can help us recode the android upstairs so that it won't blow this place sky high."

"Let's see what you've got." Root answered. 

Tony crouched down so that he was at Root's level and pressed a button on his watch, the screen projecting in front of them and displaying the code of the programming chip.

"That's a nifty watch you have there," Root commented as her eyes scanned the Chip's code. "Do you sell those?"

"It's a prototype, but I could hook you up. Depends on whether we all make it out of here alive." 

"That's not going to be a problem," Root answered confidently. 

"Thank god, because I'm pretty sure Carter was going to tell me something juicy about John, and I kind of want to be alive to hear it." Zoe joked.

"There! I found the code we'll need to overwrite. Would you mind?" Root asked, motioning with her hand for Tony to turn his wrist so that the keyboard would face her.

Root's fingers flew over the keys naturally as she wrote new lines of code. "Claire may be an evil genius, but her code is subpar at best." She noted. After a few minutes, she pressed the final key and let out a relieved sigh. "That should do it." She announced.

"I have no idea what you just did, but nice work!" Zoe remarked, patting Root on the shoulder affectionately. 

"Thanks, Zoe." Root smiled up at her. 

"Okay, we're off to put the chip back into the android. Fingers crossed." Tony said, getting up.

"Hang in there, Root. We'll be back soon." Zoe gave Root one last reassuring wink before turning around to follow Tony back upstairs. 

 

\----

 

Shaw looked at the cards in her hand and quickly glanced around the table. They were down to the final three players: herself, Claire, and an attractive blonde named Francesca Wells. Wells seemed to have made it to the end on just a buttload of luck. Shaw noted that she didn't seem like your regular run-of-the-mill poker shark. She didn't have any obvious tells, but Shaw wasn't sure if that was chalked up to the fact that she was incredibly good at hiding them, or if she just had no fucking clue what the heck she was doing. To be honest, the blonde woman seemed more interested in Claire than she did in the game, but not in a "I want to date you" kind of way - more like a "I want to destroy you" kind of way - something Shaw could definitely relate to. 

The dealer dealt the two cards to each player and then the five communal cards in the middle of the table. All eyes were on the remaining three as the energy of the room shifted from an excited buzz to hushed anticipation. 

"All in," Wells announced, pushing her giant pile of chips into the middle of the table.

“Twenty-two million dollars.” The dealer called out.

 An audible gasp materialized from somewhere in the room. 

Shaw scoffed. No way this chick's card were  _that_  good. Her own cards were crap, but Claire's demeanor betrayed that her hand was _definitely_  better than what Wells had. Shaw folded, and Claire met the bet. It was no surprise when the blonde woman ended up losing all of her chips, shrugging it off as if she just lost a silly bet with her best friend instead of millions of dollars. 

As Wells got up from the table, Shaw leaned in and grabbed her forearm. "Good game, Francesca." She said lowly, out of earshot, "You might not have any tells when it comes to poker, but I can tell from a mile away that you're some kind of trained operative"

Wells grinned. "Good eye, Shaw. You can call me Frankie. I'm a friend - from Langley."

Shaw nodded and loosened her grip on Frankie's arm.

"Look, I'm not here to step on your toes," Frankie continued. "Just let the CIA take her in when you win this thing, and we'll all be on our merry way."

Shaw matched Frankie's grin with her own. "My pleasure." She said, letting go of the woman's arm completely.

Frankie nodded and left the table. 

And then there were two.

"I see you and Francesca became fast friends," Claire noted. "You're quite the charmer, Shaw."

Shaw shrugged. "What can I say - people like me."

"I can see why." Claire stated, picking up the cards that were just dealt to her. 

"If you think I'll let you win just because you say a few nice words to me, you're seriously mistaken, lady."

"I'm just calling it like it is, _Shaw_. Besides you're going to let me win because I have something - or should I say - some _one_ that you want. And it has nothing to do with me being nice." Claire flashed a condescending grin at Shaw, causing her to grip her own cards so tight that the edges dug into her palms and started to bend. 

"Ms. Shaw, please be careful not to damage the cards." The dealer warned, bringing Shaw's attention back to the game. 

"Right. Uh, sorry." Shaw relaxed her hands and looked back down at her cards.

The dealer revealed the communal cards: ace of hearts and then eight, six, four, and ace of spades. 

"Ms. Shaw?" The dealer prompted.

"Check." Shaw replied. 

"Ms. Sanderson?" The dealer turned to Claire. 

Claire looked down at her cards and then up at Shaw. She seemed to contemplate for a while before pushing all of her chips into the middle of the table. Shaw noticed a bead of sweat trickle down from her temple.

"Ninety-three million, seven-hundred thousand dollars, all in." The dealer announced.

All eyes were now on Shaw. 

"All in," Shaw said, pushing in all of her chips. 

"Fifty-six million, three-hundred thousand dollars." The dealer announced.

"Holy shit! Carter whispered to Reese. "A hundred and fifty million dollars on that table! Someone is getting a huge payday."

"Shaw’s very good at reading people. Let's hope she knows what she's doing here." John whispered back. 

"Ms. Sanderson, your cards, please." The dealer requested. 

Claire revealed her cards: an ace of clubs and a six of hearts. 

"Full house." The dealer announced, arranging Claire's cards on the table to complete the hand. "Aces full of sixes."

There were a few gasps and clapping from the crowd watching the game. 

"Ms. Shaw, your cards, please." The dealer prompted. 

Shaw looked at her cards one last time and flipped them over: seven and five of spades.

"Straight flush." The dealer announced, arranging the cards. "Four to eight. The high hand."

The crowd around them erupted into applause. 

Claire pushed her chair back from the table and moved swiftly towards the elevators. Shaw also got up from her seat, ready to chase her down, but a hoard of staff and well-wishers crowded around her and blocked her way. She made eye contact with John and Carter over the crowd of people and motioned them towards the elevators. 

As Carter and John rushed towards the elevators, they were blocked by two of Claire's ginormous helper monkeys.

"Sorry, no access." One of the guys says to them.

"Agent Carter, FBI." Carter shoves her badge in their faces. "You're obstructing a federal investigation."

The guy shrugged. "All yours, then."

As they stepped around the henchmen towards the elevators, Carter made sure to give them both the stink eye.

"Uh, Carter? The elevators are down." John said, pushing the call button.

"Shit. They were stalling. We'll have to take the stairs." Carter pointed to the two big dudes. "Don't think we're letting you off that easy, boys. You're gonna have to answer to me after this is over."

She pushed past them towards the stairs, followed closely by John.

 

\----

 

Claire swiped her room card and opened the door to her suite. "Activate the backup protocol." She called to the android as she started packing her bags. 

After a few moments of silence, she looked up towards the android standing in the corner of the room. 

"Activate the backup protocol." She repeated. 

Still nothing. 

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think your android will be taking any more orders from you," Tony said, stepping out from the shadows of the room. 

Claire quickly pulled out a pistol from her suitcase and leveled it at Tony. "I guess I'll have to take care of it myself, then. After I kill you, of course."

Before Claire could pull the trigger, Tony was knocked out of the way by Zoe, jumping out from her hiding place nearby.

While Tony and Zoe were disoriented on the floor, Claire took advantage and bolted towards the door, only to be tackled down by Root.

"What? How did you get up here?" Claire demanded.

"With a little help from your android, of course." Root answered. "I told you, Claire. Your android has too much potential to be wasted doing your evil biddings. Fortunately, we figured out how to override your programming, and now the android can be used for good."

Claire pointed the gun up at Root. "Well at least I'll get to take you down with me."

Root chuckled. "I removed the bullets from your gun while you were downstairs playing poker."

Claire looked down at her pistol to check the magazine, and Root took that opportunity while she was distracted to grab a nearby flower vase and smash it over Claire’s head, knocking her unconscious. 

"Your coding sucks, by the way." Root said to the knocked-out Claire, picking up the gun from her hand. 

"I didn't see you take the bullets out," Tony said.

Root shrugged. "That's because I didn't. They fall for it every time." She released the magazine and let it drop to the floor. 

Zoe smiled. "I'm glad you're back with us, Root."

"Me too." Root replied, walking towards the bed. She rummaged around Claire's suitcase and produced a pair of handcuffs. She then proceeded to handcuff the unconscious woman on the floor and drag her towards the middle of the room, propping her up against the sofa just as the door flew open with a bang. 

Shaw, Fusco, Reese and Carter all entered the room, weapons raised, ready to shoot.

"Whoa, hey - calm down, guys. It's just us." Tony said, raising his hands.

"Where's Claire?" Shaw demanded.

"Right here, taking a nap." Root said, making Shaw turn towards her voice.

"Finch, we got her," Shaw reported through the comms.

"That's wonderful news, Ms. Shaw. Ms. Groves isn't injured, I hope?

Shaw lowered her gun and stalked towards Root, her eyes sweeping over the hacker and taking a mental inventory of any injuries that might be apparent. Root appeared to be uninjured, but Shaw may have to conduct a closer inspection later - just to be sure. "She looks great, from where I'm standing." Shaw reported through the comms, keeping her eyes glued to Root's. 

Harold very wisely elected not to comment on Shaw's choice of words.

"I'm uh, glad you're okay, Root." Shaw mumbled as she stepped closer to the hacker.

"Didn't know you cared, sweetie." Root teased, trying to contain the fluttering of her stomach just from seeing the little firecracker standing in front of her again. 

"Yeah, well, Harold's the one who was worried. He was afraid that he wouldn't have anyone to talk nerd with if you died." Shaw lied.

Carter walked over and jabbed Shaw hard in the ribs.

"Ow! What the hell was that for, Carter?" Shaw shouted, rubbing her ribs.

"For being stupid!" Carter shot back, rolling her eyes.

Carter turned to Root. "Shaw here was willing to cut a bitch just to get you back, Root. Don't believe her bullshit about Harold being worried or that she was doing this for the mission or whatever. The fact is that she was worried about you. We all were, but I've never seen Shaw so worked up over anything."

Root's eyes widened and she looked over at Shaw.

"Sameen, I-"

"Hey, Root!" Tony called, running over and disrupting her thoughts. "Can you take a look at this coding in the android's chip? I'm going to bring it back to my lab and work on improving it, and I'm trying to remove all the weapons programming for now so it won't accidentally shoot me or something - but I'll need your help with the coding."

Root looked over at Tony. "Sure. Pull up the code and I'll see what I can do."

Tony smiled. "Thanks!" He pulled up the screen on his watch and turned it over to Root. 

  
Root navigated Tony's supercomputer watch with ease typing code at a speed that was faster than most people could think. 

"There. All done." Root announced as she finished with the last line of code.

Tony was impressed. "Marry me?" He asked playfully.

"I'm flattered, Tony, but you're not really my type."

Tony gave her a mock offended look. "Come on, Root - what does Shaw have that I don't?"

Root smirked. "Well for one thing, a va-"

"Vast assortment of weapons." Shaw quickly interrupted. "And a dog."

"Oh thank heavens." Harold's relieved voice was heard over the comms. 

"Hey, you were supposed to be  _my_  arm candy!" Zoe protested, punching Tony lightly in the arm. 

"Speaking of that," Carter started, "John over here is totally jealous of you, Tony!"

Zoe looked over at John. "Awwww John, you don’t have to be jealous. There’s plenty of me to go around!" she teased.

John gave his signature weird grunt and half smirk again.

"How 'bout you take us both out to dinner, John, and we'll see where we go from there." Carter said, winking at Zoe. 

"Tony, we'd invite you too, but I have a feeling that you have someone special back home." Zoe said.

"That's correct. I  _do_  have someone at home, sorry ladies." Tony replied. He turned to John and gave him a friendly pay on the shoulder. "John, you are one lucky man."

Tony approached the android and inserted the programming and mobility chips back into their slots. The android immediately started moving again.

"Come on, Andi, we've got a lot to work on when we get back to the lab."

Fusco quirked an eyebrow. "Andi?"

"Yeah, short for android." Tony replied.

Fusco shrugged. "I guess that works. Thanks for helping out, Tony."

"Pleasure's all mine." He turned to the rest of the room. "Goodbye, all you beautiful people! Hope our paths will cross again soon. Root - give me a call sometime; there's a lot that I could use your opinion on."

"Will do, Tony." Root smiled and waved at Tony as he left with the android in tow. 

Root turned back to Shaw. "Now where were we? I was just about to say-"

"Found ya!" Frankie Wells called from the doorway, walking into the suite followed by two guys in suits. "Oh, hi everyone, I'm agent Frankie Wells. I'm with the CIA, here to collect Ms. Claire Sanderson here and take her back with us to the farm."

The team nodded at Frankie in greeting. 

"Weren't you one of the poker players?" Carter asked.

Frankie grinned. "I was, but to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. We just thought that this was a good opportunity to get close to Claire and arrest her before she does any major damage."

  
"I knew it," Shaw said. "Half the time you didn't even look at your cards."

  
Frankie winked at Shaw. "You got me there."

Frankie looked down at Claire, slumped against the sofa in the middle of the room. "Nice work, guys. You even gift-wrapped her for us."

"She's all yours, Frankie." Shaw replied. "I'm sure she'll be in good hands."

"Of course. If you guys ever need to call in any favours, here's my card." Frankie said, handing her card to Shaw. She turned to the other CIA agents. "Alright, boys. Let's bring her out."

The two agents stepped forward and scooped Claire up to take her away.

"Nice meeting everyone. See ya later!" Frankie called as she followed the other agents out of the room. 

Root smiled at Shaw. "So Frankie's pretty hot." She teased. 

  
"Sure, but she's not really my type." Shaw replied. 

  
"Oh? And what _is_ your type?"

  
“Well for one, it’s- 

"Ms. Shaw, there you are!" Mr. Greene - the banker - came bounding into the room. "Agent Wells told me I'd find you here. She also explained everything about Ms. Sanderson."

Shaw nodded. "Can I uh, help you with something?"

"Why yes, I will need you to input your password into the encryptor so that we can transfer the winnings to your account."

"Oh yeah, that. Root, do you mind punching in the password since you’re standing right next to Mr. Greene? The password is 7-6-6-8."

"Sure, sweetie." Root punched in the numbers on the keypad and her eyes widened in realization at the significance of the keys she just pushed.

"Thank you very much. The funds have been transferred. Have a great evening, everyone!" Mr. Greene waved politely to everyone and left the room. 

Root turned to Shaw, still bewildered by her discovery. 

"The password is ROOT? You chose my name as the password?"

Shaw rolled her eyes. "Don't read too much into it. They needed a password that was four letters long, and Root was a four letter word."

"Yeah. But you could have chosen SHAW." John pointed out.

"Or BEAR." Root added.

Shaw's face flushed. "Ugh, whatever. Shut up. I was concerned about the mission, and the mission at the moment was saving Root. So I chose Root as the password."

"So you're saying that you  _were_  concerned about me?" Root gushed.

"Look, it's not that big of a deal, okay? It's-"

Whatever Shaw was going to say was cut off by Root lunging forward and attacking Shaw's mouth with her own. Root grasped Shaw's shoulders and shoved her backwards, lips still connected, until Shaw's back hit the wall. Shaw groaned and closed her eyes, too caught up in the softness of Root's lips and the warmth of Root's body pressed up against her own to protest. 

Root pulled away briefly, listening to something that the Machine had whispered in her ear. "She says the presidential suite has been paid for in full for the next four days. I think we should make good use of it."

Shaw smirked. "Deal."

"Uh, we're still here, guys." Fusco pointed out awkwardly. 

Shaw looked over Root's shoulder at the others. "Oh, yeah. Right. You guys can uh, leave now."

"Okay, but where are we gonna stay?" Zoe asked. 

"I don't know - get yourselves a couple of rooms. I'll pay for it with the millions I just won."

"Ms. Shaw," Harold said through the comms, "Shouldn't you-"

Shaw turned off her earpiece and then tossed it away in the corner of the room somewhere. She looked pointedly at John. 

"I guess that's our cue to leave." John observed. 

"Don't have to tell  _me_  twice." Fusco agreed. 

"Come on, guys. Let's go get ourselves some well deserved drinks while these two lovebirds get reacquainted." Carter said, leading the way out the door as the rest of them shuffled out after her.

Root turned back to Shaw as the door closed behind Zoe. "Now, tell me again how you did all this for the mission," She teased.

"Shut up, Root." Shaw growled as she pulled Root back in for a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Easter Egg(s)**
> 
> I realized it was not apparent how 7668 = Root. 7-6-6-8 are the numbers on the standard telephone keypad that corresponds to each of the letters in Root's name :)


	14. Do I Move You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw hang out in the Presidential Suite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: This chapter is 90% smut, so I've marked it off with the usual lines if you'd rather skip the smutty parts.
> 
> HUGE thanks to hufflepufflovespizza for being my test audience for this chapter and for all of the encouragement and suggestions. If you haven't yet, check out "All Hands on Deck" - it's a super fun read; hilarious and sexy :)

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Shaw mumbled against Root's mouth as she slid her fingers into Root's hair. 

"Mmmmmm, not the kind of welcome back I was expecting." Root mumbled back between kisses. 

Shaw pulled back, a serious expression on her face. "You got yourself kidnapped. You could have died."

"Come on, Sam, it's not like I ran around holding up a sign that said 'please kidnap me.'" Root protested. "Besides, thanks to me, nobody got blown up. Now - can we get back to the homecoming party in my pants?"

Shaw looked down at Root's slinky dress. "You're not wearing any pants," she deadpanned. 

"Well then what are you waiting for? We're already halfway there." Root challenged.

 

* * *

 

Shaw smirked. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Root's waist and lifted her up, causing her to yelp in surprise. Shaw took long, sure strides towards the dining table in the suite and hoisted Root onto the surface. 

Bunching the silky material of Root's dress in both fists, Shaw ripped the dress right down the middle, causing Root to gasp at her display of strength. 

"I hope you weren't planning on ever wearing that dress again," Shaw said before surging forward and capturing Root's mouth with her own, her hands pushing the rest of the material down Root's shoulders. 

Root moaned into the kiss. "It wasn't my dress, anyway." She shrugged, reaching to pull Shaw closer by her hips. She grabbed a fistful of Shaw's loose tresses at the nape of her neck and yanked her head back, exposing her throat. Shaw stared up at her defiantly, challenging her next move, lips parted and breathing slightly ragged. Root's mouth practically watered at the sight of Shaw's soft skin bared for her to see. She leaned forward and licked a trail up the column of Shaw's throat before pulling her in closer and sinking her teeth into Shaw's pulse point. Shaw moaned at the exquisite mix of pleasure and pain, feeling herself getting achingly wetter as Root laved her tongue over the bite mark and sucked gently at the soft flesh of her neck.

Shaw grabbed at Root's arms and shoved her back down so that she was lying on the table, staring back up at Shaw. Shaw looked down at the expanse of smooth, pale skin before her. Root's pupils were blown and her cheeks were tinged pink with arousal.

This feeling of frenzied desire that Shaw felt whenever the Root was around was not normal for her. She usually had way more self-control, but something about Root sparked a fire inside of her; a flame so hot that it threatened to consume her entirely. She can't help but give in and throw all caution to the wind whenever she saw that  _look_  in the Root's eyes; the look that promises violence and danger and sex and...something else that she can't describe. Something much softer, but it made her heart beat faster and her blood sing all the same.   


Shaw ran her hands across the exposed skin of Root's torso and pressed her down onto the table by her shoulders. She leaned down to pepper soft, wet, open mouthed kisses along Root's stomach, up along her ribs and around the underside of her breasts through her thin silky bra, causing Root to shudder and arch against the table. 

"Sameen," Root gasped, "I need more."

It was amazing how these simple words could have such a dizzying effect on Shaw. It was impossible to deny Root when her name was being whispered so reverently from the hacker's lips. Shaw lifted herself up on the table so that she was straddling Root. She lowered her face so that it was right next to Root's and turned to bite at her earlobe. 

"Tell me what you need," she whispered into Root's ear, causing the taller woman to moan and buck her hips against Shaw. 

Shaw slid her hand down between Root's legs and cupped her, feeling the obvious sign of arousal through her panties. "Do you need...this?" She growled softly in Root's ear as she stroked her over the thin piece of fabric.

"Ah, yesss." Root breathed, bucking her hips into Shaw's touch, but disappointed when Shaw pulled away slightly. 

 _What a fucking tease_. 

"Sameeeeeen," Root complained, reaching down to grab Shaw's wrist to pull it back where it belonged, nestled in between her legs. 

Shaw chuckled. "I don't know, Root. I don't think I've made you suffer enough yet for making me- uh, the team- worried about you." She teased, even as she continued stroking feather soft lines up and down Root's aching center, causing the hacker to make soft mewling noises. "I don't think you deserve an orgasm yet." 

"Sameen Shaw, I swear to the Machine if you don't do something about this right now, I will murder someone! And that someone will likely be you. You're all talk and no action." Root growled.

"Oh, you want some action, huh?" Shaw smirked, sliding down off the table and away from Root.

Root bolted up from her position, hair mussed, cheeks red, and panting slightly. She opened her mouth to snap at Shaw but squeaked in surprise when Shaw pulled her by her legs towards the edge of the table and practically ripped her panties off. 

"Oh, I'll give you some action." Shaw murmured before burying her face between Root's legs. 

This sort of cheesy action hero line would normally have elicited an eye roll from Root, but her eyes were too busy rolling into the back of her head the moment that Shaw's tongue made contact.

Root leaned back on one arm and tangled her other hand into Shaw's hair as she watched Sameen on her knees in front of her, head bobbing up and down in rhythm with her tongue. 

Shaw continued for several minutes, using her fingers to spread Root apart and expose her clit and drawing patterns with her tongue along the sensitive nub. She alternated between licking and gently sucking on Root's clit until she could hear Root's breathing become more ragged and feel Root's grip on her hair getting tighter.

"Fuck, Sameen, don't stop. I'm so close." Root moaned, bucking her hips wildly into Shaw's mouth. 

Shaw continued her movements until she felt Root seize up and hold her breath as her orgasm crashed into her. Shaw slowed down her ministrations and gentled Root through her orgasm until she loosened her grip in Shaw's hair. 

Shaw stood up to stand between Root's legs, running her hands back and forth along the sides of Root's thighs. She looked into the hacker's eyes, still dark with lust but also wide with adoration. 

"Thank you, Sam." Root said quietly. 

Shaw snorted and looked away uncomfortably. "I've never been thanked for sex before." 

Root shook her head and reached out to cup Shaw's face, forcing her to meet her gaze. "I meant for saving my life. For rallying the troops to come save me. Thank you." She said sincerely. 

Shaw wasn't sure what overcame her right then, but at the tone of Root's voice, she leaned forward and connected their lips, quickly deepening the kiss and slipping her tongue in to find Root's. Her hand reached up to cup Root's jaw and keep their lips connected. Root's hands wandered down and found the zipper to Shaw's dress. She pulled down the zipper and pushed the straps from Shaw's shoulders. Shaw reached around Root's back with her free hand and snapped open the clasp of her bra. "Much better," she smirked into the kiss as she pulled the piece of clothing from Root's shoulders and flung it somewhere behind her. 

As the kiss got more heated, Shaw wrapped her arms around Root's back and pulled the hacker closer towards her, stepping away from the table with the clear intent of carrying her towards the bed. Root's legs naturally wrapped around Shaw's waist as Shaw proceeded to make her way toward the bed. Shaw could feel Root's arousal against her stomach and it stoked the fire in her own lower belly. 

She dropped Root onto the bed, landing on top of her and crawling up her body so that they were face to face. She lowered herself and continued kissing Root, reveling in the happy noises that she was making underneath her. 

Shaw broke away briefly from the kiss to bring her mouth closer to Root's ear. "I want to be inside you." She whispered, then pulled back to look to Root for her answer. Root gave her a soft smile and nodded. "Please," she answered, and that was all Shaw needed to hear. She easily slid two fingers into Root, humming in approval when Root gasped, her warm silky walls pulling Shaw in deeper. 

"Mmmmm, you feel amazing." Shaw praised, pulling a moan out of Root. 

Root moved desperately against Shaw's hand, hoping that Sameen would take the hint and increase her thrusting, but Shaw kept her pace frustratingly slow, refusing to let this end too quickly. She moved down Root's body and enveloped one nipple with her mouth, scraping and teasing with her teeth and then sucking the sting away, driving Root wild with need. She moved to the other nipple and gave it the same treatment, because symmetry. 

Shaw moved back up to kiss Root, caressing her tongue with her own and losing herself in the feeling and taste of Root's mouth moving against hers. She continued her torturous pace, building Root's orgasm until Root felt like she would combust if she didn't get to come soon.  

"Sameen," Root tore herself away from Shaw's mouth and looked deep into her eyes.  Shaw slowed down her movements even more, sensing the seriousness in Root's tone. 

"I need you." Root breathed. She clenched around Shaw's fingers, eliciting a groan from the shorter woman. "Sameen, please. Let me come." 

 _Well, fuck_. 

Shaw quickened her pace, adding another finger easily with how wet Root was. She pressed a thumb against Root's clit, drawing firm circles around it as she continued thrusting and driving Root to an intense climax, her hands gripping tightly at the sheets on the bed while her body trembled with the aftershocks.  

 

* * *

 

 

They lay next to each other for a while, waiting for their heartbeats to slow back to a normal pace. Once Root had caught her breath, she moved to climb on top of Shaw.

"My turn," she grinned, lowering her head to kiss Shaw and reaching down to remove her panties. She started to pull the material down and-

 

Knock knock. 

  
Root stopped her movements to look over at the source of the sound, but Shaw grabbed her face and pulled it back towards her. "Ignore it. They'll go away eventually." 

"But what if it's an emergency?" Root murmured against Shaw's mouth.

"It's not." Shaw insisted, kissing Root eagerly. 

Root moaned and slid her hands down Shaw's torso back down towards her underwear and-

 

Knock knock. 

 

"Hello, is there a Dr. Caroline Turing here?"

"Go away, she's busy!" Shaw snapped at the door and turned back to continue kissing Root. 

"Umm, sorry to interrupt, but I have specific instructions to deliver this package personally," said the timid voice from the other side of the door. "It's from Thornhill Industries."

Root detached her mouth from Shaw's. "It's from the Machine." She explained. 

"This better be worth it." Shaw growled.

Root grinned. "Thanks, sweetie." She got up off the bed and went into the bathroom to grab a bathrobe. "Back in a flash!" She promised, heading towards the door.  

The young man standing on the other side of the door did not expect Dr. Caroline Turing to greet him in her bathrobe. His eyes widened as he regarded the tall brunette beauty standing before him. 

"Uh, h-hi. Dr. Turing?"

Root smiled politely at the bumbling delivery man. "That's me."

"This is for you." He shyly handed her a package roughly the size of the shoebox. "I just need you to sign right here." He held out a tablet and fumbled with the stylus before managing to pass it to her. Root signed her name on the tablet and handed the stylus back to him.

"Thanks, Darren." She said, looking at his name tag. 

Darren flashed her a boyish smile. "Y-you're welcome, Dr. Turing. Would you, uh, like any help with the box?"

Suddenly, Shaw appeared at the door, wrapped up in the bedsheets. She shoved herself between Root and Darren and glared him down. 

"Listen, buddy. The only person who's going to be helping her with her box is me, so scram!"

The look in her eyes was warning enough for the flustered young man, so he high tailed it out of there. 

Shaw pulled Root back into the suite and slammed the door behind her. 

"That was a bit aggressive, don't you think, sweetie? He was only trying to help."

"He was ogling a bit too much for my liking. Anyway, if you think  _that_  was aggressive, you haven't seen anything yet." Shaw growled, tugging Root towards the bed.

Root stood her ground. "Hold on a sec, Sam. I have to see what it is that the Machine sent to me. It could be something that needs my urgent attention."

"I know something else that needs your urgent attention." Shaw grumbled, letting Root go and throwing herself on the bed. 

"Tsk tsk, Sam. This will only take a minute." Root chided. She opened up the package and took a look at its contents. 

"Hey, Sameen?"

"Yeah?"

"The Machine sent us a toy."

"What?" Shaw sat up from her position on the bed. "Why the hell would she send us a toy? What the hell is so important about a toy that she had to have it hand delivered to us in the Bahamas? What are we, five-year-olds?"

"Sam, it's not that kind of toy," Root explained, pulling the object out of the box. 

Shaw's eyes widened when she saw the purple feeldoe that Root was holding in her hands. 

"Oh.  _That_  kinda toy."

"Yeah." Root nodded, walking towards the bathroom to sanitize the feeldoe. 

Shaw threw herself back against the pillows. This was shaping up to be a pretty good night. 

After a moment, Root came back out, still holding the toy. She stalked towards Shaw with a predatory look in her eyes. She knelt down onto the bed next to Shaw, who was wriggling a little with anticipation. 

"I'm so glad the Machine sent this to us," Root said happily, "I was just telling Lionel-"

"Wait wait wait - what?" Shaw interrupted, shuffling away from Root. 

"What's wrong, Sam? We were just getting to the good part."

"You did NOT just mention Fusco and now expect me to still be in the mood for sex."

"But Sam, he and I had a really nice talk. A heart to heart. I told him about this particular feeldo-"

"No! Nope! I am _not_ having this conversation right now. Fusco and sex toys do _not_ belong in the same conversation. I'm going to sleep. On the couch."

Shaw started to get up when Root latched onto her arm and pulled her back onto the bed. Root was immediately on top of her, straddling her waist and pinning her arms on either side of her head, their faces inches away from each other. 

Root clicked the button on the feeldoe with her thumb, activating the vibration. The sensation traveled down Shaw's arm pleasantly.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Root purred, nudging her nose against Shaw's neck. "I'll make it worth your while." She licked over the bit mark from earlier, causing Shaw to shudder. 

Shaw rolled her eyes. "Fine." She huffed. 

Root grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."

 

* * *

 

 

Root let go of Shaw's arms and pushed herself back up into a kneeling position. She positioned the feeldoe so that the bulb end was lined up at her entrance and easily slid it in, letting out a moan as her body adjusted to the sensation.

Shaw's mouth went dry, watching the pleasure dance across Root's face as the toy slid into place. She sat up and grasped onto Root's shoulders. "Come here." She growled, pulling Root on top of her and kissing her hungrily. The vibrating toy pressed against Shaw's clit through her underwear, causing her to bite back a moan. 

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Root asked between kisses.

Shaw grabbed Root's wrist and unceremoniously shoved it down her panties, letting the wetness Root found there speak for itself.

She pointedly raised an eyebrow at Root. "What do you think?" She asked. 

Root chuckled. "Duly noted. Now, let me help you get out of these." She pulled her hand out and quickly removed Shaw's panties, settling herself back between Shaw's legs. She teased Shaw a little, swirling the tip of the toy around her clit and making her squirm. 

"Root."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Stop teasing and just get on with it."

Root grinned. "You know I can't deny you anything." She leaned down and kissed Shaw softly on the lips before pressing her mouth to Shaw's ear. "Spread your legs, for me, baby," she whispered. And usually Shaw would never tolerate anyone calling her 'baby,' but right in that moment she felt like she would do anything Root asked of her, especially if she said it using that tone. Shaw obediently spread her legs wider, allowing Root to line the tip of the toy against her and push in slowly. Root watched as Shaw's face contorted in pleasure, her mouth open in a silent moan. Root leaned forward, bracing herself on her arms planted on either side of Shaw's torso as she began to slowly thrust into her. 

"Oh, fuuuuuuck," Shaw breathed, feeling the pleasure build up inside her with each thrust. She arched her back into the movement of Root's hips, and Root took that opportunity to reach behind Shaw with one hand and unhook her bra, pulling it off and depositing it somewhere by the bed. 

They were both working up quite a sweat; Root maintaining her steady rhythm while Shaw writhed underneath her, pushing against the mattress with her heels to meet Root's thrusts. Root lowered her head to press little bites along the curve of Shaw's breasts, darting her tongue out to lick at the skin that was now glowing with a thin sheen of sweat. 

"Ah...deeper, Root." Shaw moaned, and Root brought her hand down to the side to find Shaw's calf and lift it up over her shoulder, changing the angle and allowing her to thrust deeper into Shaw.  

"Holy shhhhiiiit," Shaw hissed as Root hit just the right spot again and again. She can feel her orgasm approaching slowly like a tidal wave, but then Root pressed a thumb to her clit and she came so hard and so suddenly that she couldn't contain the soft whimper that escaped her throat. 

"Keep going, Root. Don't stop. Ah, don't stop." She panted, and Root was more than happy to oblige, continuing to thrust steadily and driving Shaw into orgasm after orgasm until she gently squeezed Root's bicep to signal that she has had enough. 

Root slowly pulled out of Shaw and dropped the toy off the side of the bed to be taken care of later. Shaw fell back onto the pillows in boneless contentment, and Root settled down next to her and angled her face to kiss her, soft and deep.

After a while, Root began subconsciously rolling her hips into Shaw's while their lips and tongues moved against each other. Her movements became more deliberate the longer they kissed. Shaw smiled against Root's lips when she felt the hacker moving against her.

"God, you're insatiable." She teased. 

"I just can't help myself around you, Sameen." Root replied, her tone equal parts teasing and sincere. 

"You," Shaw growled softly, reaching down to press her middle and ring fingers against Root's clit, causing her to gasp, "You are something else. You know that?"

"So I've been told." Root breathed. "Oh...Sam, that feels amazing."

"I don't know what it is about you that makes me want to either punch you or kiss you." Shaw said, continuing to stroke lazy patterns around Root's sensitive bundle of nerves. 

"Kisses. Oh, God....I prefer kisses. Fuuuuuuck." 

"And don't even get me started on all the shenanigans that you've pulled since we met. If you were anyone else, I would have shot you by now."

"I'm...mmmmmm, yessssss, right there...I'm really flattered that you haven't, Sameen." 

Root's breathing became laboured as she held her breath for several seconds at a time before releasing it. She reveled in the heightened sensation that the decreased oxygen to her brain was causing. Her body moved in rhythm with her breathing, tensing and then relaxing until she can feel herself getting close. 

Shaw slowed down her stroking, keeping Root right at the edge but not allowing her to fall over just yet. She looked at Root, her long eyelashes fluttering as her eyes rolled towards the back of her head in pleasure, her lips pink and swollen from being thoroughly kissed. Shaw watched as Root arched into her touch, exposing the long, slender column of her neck to her gaze. She can see the delicate vein running the length of her neck and she leaned in to press her mouth against it, sucking softly as she felt Root's pulse beneath her lips. She was so soft, so delicate under Shaw's touch. Shaw could easily get addicted to watching Root come apart by her hand. She increased the speed of her movements, bringing Root closer and closer to the brink until-

"Sameen!" Root gasped out her name as she came, the tension in her body releasing all at once like the string on a bow. Shaw was absolutely intoxicated by the way Root had called out her name, so soft that it could have been a whisper, yet so full of desire that it was overwhelming, almost deafening. She had never heard anyone say her name like that before, and all she wanted now was to hear Root say it again. She continued gently stroking Root through her orgasm, feeling her warm breath panting into her ear as Root came down from her high. 

 

* * *

 

 

After a moment, Shaw felt Root shift slightly under her. 

"I think I'm falling in love with you." Root whispered into Shaw's ear, her voice small and timid. 

Shaw's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and she lifted her head to look at the hacker. Root was worrying at her bottom lip, expecting Sameen to bolt up and run away, but Shaw did neither. Instead, she rolled her eyes and then rolled onto her back, facing the ceiling. 

"I warned you about this, Root."

"I know."

"You said you wouldn't."

"I don't control who my heart beats for."

Shaw rolled back onto her side and looked at Root. "That was lame."

Root smiled, propping her head up on her elbow. "Get used to it, Sam. I'm not going anywhere."

"We work together," Shaw huffed. "You'll get distracted on missions."

"I've got the Machine to guide me."

"Well then  _I'll_  get distracted on missions."

"You? Distracted? By little ol' me? I don't believe it."

Shaw let out a deep breath. "I...look, it makes me feel..." she paused, searching for the right word, "...uncomfortable when you do stupid things on missions like getting yourself kidnapped and when you uh, talk...to people."

"When I talk to people?" Root chuckled. "It makes you feel uncomfortable when I talk to people?"

"Yeah. Yes. When you talk to people in that..." Shaw gestured with her hand, "that...flirty way. Ugh - when you flirt with people. There - I said it. Happy? I don't like it when you flirt with people. I'm not saying you can't do it - you can flirt with whoever you want, but it just…I dunno, it makes me feel uncomfortable."

Root smiled widely and tilted her head to the side. "Sameen, are you saying that you get jealous when I flirt with other people?" She teased. 

"It takes focus away from the mission!" Shaw started, but then she sighed. "And...I guess I only like it when you flirt with, y'know, me."

Root wanted to leap for joy at Shaw's ineloquent yet meaningful words, but she forced herself to remain calm and contain her glee. 

Shaw can tell that Root was barely keeping herself together after hearing her half-confession. She rolled her eyes and looked away, awkwardly avoiding the intense heart eyes that Root was aiming her way. But Root was not letting her off the hook that easily, oh no. She reached out and gently pulled Shaw's face to look back at her, and Shaw let her, meeting Root's gaze.

"So you're saying that you care about me; that you care about what happens to me."

Shaw considered her thoughts for a moment before answering. "Yeah. I mean, I care about what happens to the other guys, too. But - I dunno, for some reason it's more...intense when it's you."

"That's because I'm your 'type,' Sam."

Shaw scoffed. "If you consider crazy, annoying, hot, nerdy brunettes a type."

"I do."

"Well then-" Shaw shrugged, "I guess you're my type."

Root fought hard to contain her squeal of delight. She climbed back on top of Shaw and kissed her softly on the lips. Shaw bit back a smile, but Root could see the slight upturn at the corners of her mouth. Root deepened the kiss, grinding slowly against Shaw, but Shaw pulled away after a moment.

"How are you not tired? I need to get some sleep if I'm going to have enough energy to keep up with your antics."

"Sameen, how do you expect me to go to sleep now?"

"Easy. You just close your eyes and stop talking."

"But you just said that I was your type and admitted that you had feelings for me."

"Whoa whoa whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves, here. I mean, yeah, I feel things, but I don't do  _feelings_  - not the way that you do, Root. So if you're thinking that I'll be making any confessions of love or whatever - that's probably not going to happen. And don't be expecting any grand romantic gestures, because I don't do those either."

Root beamed. "I wouldn't want you any other way, Sameen. Besides, heading a rescue mission and choosing my name as the password to claim your multimillion dollar winnings was a pretty grand romantic gesture if you ask me." 

Shaw groaned. "I will never be able to live this down."

"Nope."

"Just...go to sleep, Root. It's been a long ass day."

"Wait, so you're saying that we can sleep on the same bed?"

"That's what beds are for."

"What about cuddling?"

"I don't do cuddling."

"Okay, but what if I'm cold-"

"Use the blanket-"

"-and the only thing that will warm me up is body heat?"

Shaw sighed. "If I allow you to cuddle with me, will you stop talking and go to sleep?"

Root grinned. "Yes."

"Fine. Turn around. If we're cuddling, I'm gonna be the big spoon."

Root happily turned around and curled up against Shaw, reaching back for Shaw's arm and pulling it to drape it over her own waist. With Shaw's warm body pressed against her back, Root drifted off to sleep with the biggest smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot writing this chapter because I wanted Shaw to admit her feelings to Root, but I wasn't sure how to do it in a way that would be true to Shaw's character and respectful of her PD. Hope it turned out okay and that it wasn't too OOC.


	15. Underneath it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it - this is the end. Thanks to everyone who stuck along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! My writing has improved a lot over the past six months because of this fic, and I have all of you guys to thank for it. Your comments and enthusiasm for the story encouraged me to keep on writing more and more. This story is just as much yours as it is mine. Although this is the end of Crazy in Love, it's not the end of this AU. I'm writing a sequel, but I'm not sure yet when I'll be able to start posting it. Until then, keep in touch through social media - I would love to chat with you guys about our mutual love for Shoot. I'm on Twitter (@t_ninjaa), tumblr (t-ninjaa), and Instagram (t_ninjaa) obviously I am really creative when it comes to thinking up usernames ;)

Root awoke to the gentle sounds of the ocean outside as the waves lapped onto the shore. She was lying on her side, facing Shaw who was sleeping on her stomach, both arms scooped under her pillow, breathing lightly. Root's heart fluttered as she fondly watched the woman next to her, Shaw's features soft in sleep. Her eyes trailed over to Shaw's back, littered with scars. She reached out and ran her fingertips over the raised skin, causing Shaw to stir.

Shaw opened her eyes and blinked at the hacker, humming at Root's soft touch.

Root smiled. "Good morning," she breathed, continuing to glide her fingers up and down Shaw's back.

"Hey," Shaw greeted, a small smile forming on her lips. Shaw wasn't really a 'good morning' type of person.

"That was the best sleep I've had in years." Root said, tracing her fingertips along a scar just under Shaw's left shoulder blade.

Shaw stretched out and hummed her agreement, her eyes fluttering shut, biting down on her bottom lip as she arched into Root's touch.

"Mmmmm that feels nice." Shaw said, enjoying the patterns that Root's fingers were drawing across her back.

"You know what else would feel nice?" Root asked mischievously, scooting closer to Shaw so that she could feel the warmth radiating from her body.

"Hmmm?"

Root leaned in and kissed Shaw softly, their noses brushing against each other. She let out a contented sigh, letting her actions speak for her.

Shaw reached out to cup Root's face, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. They continued for a while, their hips bumping slowly against each other as the kiss became more heated.

Root suddenly found herself flipped onto her back, Shaw rolling on top of her.

"You're right, this _does_ feel nice" Shaw said playfully, grinding her hips into Root and watching the look of pleasure flash across her face. Root parted her lips, looking at Sameen through half lidded eyes as she continued to grind slowly on top of her.

Shaw took both of Root's hands in hers and intertwined their fingers. She dipped her head and kissed Root, letting their tongues naturally move against each other and enjoying the warm feeling growing in her chest.

"I love you, Sameen." Root said breathlessly when they finally broke for air. The words just came out without a thought. Her heart felt so full that it was near bursting. She had never in her life felt such an overwhelming urge to be constantly near another human being before.

Shaw continued trailing kisses across Root's jawline. "I know," she murmured. But then she paused and drew back to look at Root. "But I can't say it back, Root. I'm just not wired for this kinda thing."

"I know, sweetie."

"I've never had these...feelings about anyone before. I've never had feelings in general. I...I don't really know what to do with them."

"You don't have to do anything with them, Sameen." Root assured.

"I just...I'm not one for sentiment, Root. I'll never be able to express myself through words the way you do. I won't be able to reassure you with regular declarations of 'I love yous'..." She paused, thinking of her next words, "But who I am... _what_ I am...and whatever this is that I _do_ feel...if that's good enough for you, Root, then take it - it's yours."

Root's heart leapt into her throat. She felt exposed, with her hands still pinned to the bed underneath Shaw's, every emotion on her face was bared for Shaw to see.

"Sameen...it's good enough for me."

Shaw nodded and dipped her head to kiss Root again. She broke the kiss after a while and moved down Root's body, kissing a trail down her neck, her sternum, past her belly button, and pausing as her mouth hovered over Root's center. She looked up at Root for permission to continue, and Root nodded enthusiastically in affirmation.

* * *

Shaw grinned and darted her tongue out to taste Root, finding her warm and wet. She drew patterns over Root's clit for a while, enjoying the soft whimpers that escaped from Root as she drove her closer and closer. Her hands ran idly over Root's thighs, massaging the tension out of them as she continued with her ministrations.

"Ah, I'm so close, Sameen. Please. I need you inside me," Root whispered between pants.

Shaw brought back her hand and circled Root's entrance with her fingers before dipping one in, and then another. She sucked softly on Root's clit while massaging her g-spot with her fingers, keeping her movements firm and steady until Root arched her hips off the bed and came with a choked cry. Shaw continued until she felt the fluttering around her fingers weaken, and she pulled out slowly.

* * *

Shaw crawled up to lie down next to Root as she caught her breath and hummed in satisfaction. Once her heart rate returned to normal, Root turned over to look at Shaw.

"Ready for your turn?" she asked, grinning widely.

"Absolutely," Shaw answered, wriggling into a comfortable position on the bed.

Root rolled on top of Shaw and kissed her slowly and sensually. She ran her index finger along the inside of Shaw's thigh and just as she was about to move her hand to a more _desirable_ location, a loud grumbling from Shaw's stomach interrupted them, causing Root to look down in confusion.

"Hungry already? But you _just_ had breakfast!" She pouted.

Shaw patted her growling six-pack. "Well, I haven't eaten in over twelve hours; my stomach is in a state of emergency," she explained. "I think it's time to go down."

Root grinned. "That's more like it." She proceeded to slide down Shaw's body, using her hands to part her thighs.

"Root. I meant that it's time to go _downstairs_. To eat."

The pout returned to Root's face. "Fine. But we're coming right back up afterwards so that we can finish what we started."

Shaw shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

\----

Root and Shaw strolled into the breakfast lounge where the rest of the team was already gathered at a table chatting and laughing at something funny that Carter had just said. Zoe noticed them first and beckoned them towards the table, motioning to the empty seats between herself and Carter. Shaw flagged down the nearest sever immediately after settling into their seats.

"Hey, can I have two orders of the pancake breakfast, two sides of sausage, two sides of bacon, two orders of French toast, and two coffees?"

The waiter wrote everything down on his pad of paper. "Thank you, Ms. Shaw. I will bring out the food for you and your guest right away." He started to walk away, but Shaw grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.

"Hold on a sec. She hasn't put in her order yet."

The server looked startled. "But all this food..."

Shaw raised an eyebrow, challenging him to finish his sentence. To his credit, he recovered rather quickly and turned towards Root.

"My sincerest apologies, Miss. Please, may I take your order?"

Root smiled politely at the waiter. "Just a ham and cheese omelette and a cup of coffee, please."

"Right away, Miss." The server jotted down her order and hurried into the kitchen to tell the chef.

"Whoa, Shaw. That's quite an appetite you have this morning. Fueling up after a long night of exertion?" Zoe teased.

Fusco choked on his coffee and had to beat on his chest with his fist to clear his throat. "Sorry," he coughed, "it went down the wrong tube."

Shaw was momentarily distracted by Fusco's near death experience and didn't notice Carter sliding closer to her with a sly grin.

"So...?" Carter elbowed Shaw playfully in the ribs.

Shaw stared back blankly at Carter. "So..? So what?" She asked.

Carter threw her hands up in the air. "Are you guys together now, or what?"

"Are we..? Uh..." Shaw glanced over to Root, who was blushing a bright pink. She looked so sexy, all flustered and smiling shyly at Shaw. Shaw subconsciously licked her lips. If they weren't surrounded by people, she would've jumped Root already.

"Yo! Earth to Shaw!" Carter's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I...uh, we..." Shaw rolled her eyes. "None of your business, Carter." She waved Carter off.

"Come on, Shaw. I was just playin'. Just wanted to see if Root's been taken off the market, because this guy name Mark that we met on the comic con cruise asked me to talk to Root for him," Carter said, taking out her cell phone and showing his number to Shaw.

Shaw swatted the phone away. "Well you can tell Mark that she's not interested. Right, Root?"

Root shrugged. "He was kinda cute. Maybe I should keep my options open."

Shaw opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out.

"Relax, Sameen. I'm just pulling your leg. You know I only have eyes for you."

"Called it!" Zoe exclaimed gleefully and high-fived Carter over Shaw's head. "Now. Onto the important question...who topped last night?"

Fusco spat out his scrambled eggs. "What the hell! Do you mind? I'm try'na eat over here!"

"Get over it, you big baby!" Carter shushed him.

Fusco turned to look at John. "Can you believe this?"

John shrugged. "You get used to it after a while. It doesn't bother me anymore now that I'm dead inside."

Fusco shook his head. "Just my luck that my only vacation is with a bunch of looney tunes," he mumbled.

Carter waved him off dismissively. "Okay, so back to business. Who was the top? Was there clothes ripping of any sort?"

Shaw's face remained neutral, refusing to give in to Carter and Zoe's shenanigans.

"We're only asking because there's money on the line," Zoe pointed out.

"If I give you each five hundred bucks, would you stop pestering us?" Shaw asked.

"Well it wouldn't hurt..." Zoe mused.

Carter reached over and slapped her on the arm.

"Ow! I was just kidding! We don't want your money, Shaw. We were just teasing. What you do behind closed doors is your business."

"Thank you!" Shaw exhaled, just as the server returned with her plates of food.

"Speaking of business," John said, changing the subject, "We saw a delivery guy go up to your room with a package from Thornhill. Did the Machine give us another mission?"

Shaw was too busy shoving food into her mouth to stop Root from speaking until it was too late.

"She sent us a sex toy."

"Niiiice. Anything special?" Zoe asked nonchalantly, as if this were a normal breakfast conversation.

Lionel and John stared at each other in abject horror and utter speechlessness.

"A feeldoe. The original purple one. Actually," Root turned towards Fusco. "I was just telling Lionel about it the other day."

"You said it was a vibrator. What's a-"

John quickly grabbed Fusco's arm to get his attention, then he shook his head to warn him that he should immediately stop this line of questioning. But once again, it was too late.

"Well I only called it a vibrator because I was pretty sure you wouldn't know what a feeldoe was if it hit you upside the head - no offense. Let's just say it's a bit...heftier than a vibrator." She waggled her eyebrows at Fusco to illustrate her point.

John looked down at the breakfast sausages on his plate and pushed the plate far away from himself. "Well, I think I'm done with breakfast for now." He stood up from his seat "Gonna take a walk around. You coming, Fusco?"

"Hell yes!" Lionel couldn't scramble out of his chair fast enough.

"Ladies." John nodded to everyone still sitting at the table before heading out towards the lobby, followed closely by Fusco.

Zoe waved at John and then turned back to the table. "So, what's next for Team Machine?"

Shaw shrugged, leaning over the table to spear at the abandoned sausages on John's plate. "I think we still have a few days here and then we're headed back to New York for whatever's next. Why? You guys up for another adventure?"

"As much as we'd love to, Morgan and I have to get back to - y'know - our actual paying jobs. Not all of us were fortunate enough to win a hundred million in a high stakes poker game." Carter joked.

"Speaking of," Zoe said, rising from her seat, "we better call and check in with the Director. She'll be happy to know that we didn't cause any major incidents on this trip."

"At least none that can be directly traced back to the FBI." Carter added with a wink as she stood up and followed Zoe. "Be right back!"

Left at the quiet breakfast table together, Root turned and watched as Shaw scarfed down her breakfast with gusto.

"Root."

"Sameen?"

"Stop watching me eat. It's creepy."

Root reached over and speared a corner of French toast from Shaw's plate and popped it into her mouth. "I'm just imagining you devouring me the way you just devoured your breakfast."

Shaw smirked. "Still can't get enough of me, huh?"

Root held Shaw's gaze. "Never."

Shaw was momentarily stunned by how honestly Root had answered; there was no teasing lilt to it.

Root tentatively reached down and took Shaw's hand in hers, interlacing their fingers and caressing the top of Shaw's thumb with her own.

Shaw leaned in so that their faces were only inches apart. She could hear Root's breathing hitch at the proximity.

Shaw's eyes dropped down to Root's lips. "You...have some powdered sugar on your lips," she murmured.

Root could feel her face heating up being so close to Shaw. "Do I?" She husked, "Would you mind getting it for me?"

Shaw smirked and closed the small distance between them; licking the powdered sugar from Root's bottom lip and then slipping her tongue further into Root's mouth to chase the flavour on her tongue. She cupped Root's face with her free hand and deepened the kiss, swallowing a moan that escaped from Root's throat.

"Ahem! Are we interrupting something?" Carter's voice cut through the daze and they broke away quickly, awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

"Please, don't stop on our account." Zoe added, smirking at them.

"We can't leave 'em for five minutes without having them suck face like teenagers." Carter teased, crossing her arms across her chest.

Shaw scowled up at the two FBI agents having fun at her expense.

"Sameen was just helping me with some powdered sugar that got stuck on my lips." Root explained playfully.

"Riiiiiight," Zoe nodded. "And then I guess she slipped and her tongue somehow ended up in your mouth."

"Shut it, Morgan." Shaw mumbled.

"All in good fun, Shaw." Carter teased. "Anyway, our boss wants us back at base for debriefing and, ugh, paperwork." She shuddered, thinking of all the reports they were going to have to write.

"We're gonna go up and pack our stuff, so feel free to continue making out while we're gone." Zoe said cheerfully as she and Carter headed up to their room.

"Actually, we have to get packing too." Root said to Shaw. "She's sending me on a solo mission after we get back to base."

"Wait, a solo mission? Why aren't I invited?" Shaw demanded. "I thought we were partners?"

Root grinned. "We are, sweetie. But she only needs her Analog Interface on this particular mission. It'll be a quick one - short and sweet."

Shaw rolled her eyes. "Fine," she huffed, "as long as I'm not missing out on any fun."

"You won't, sweetie, I promise." Root leaned in close to Shaw's ear. "Now how about we go back up to our suite and finish our fun up there?"

Shaw grinned. "Don't have to ask me twice."


	16. The Happiest Place on Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey there! I finished this story a little bit over a year ago, but recently it hit 700 kudos, so I thought I’d write a bonus chapter - surprise!!!
> 
> Fair warning, the second part gets preeeetty fluffy.
> 
> Thanks to hufflepufflovespizza for reading over it for me. I hope you enjoy it!

Root and Shaw walked through the rotating doors of the fancy building where their latest number worked; both women wearing a pencil skirt/blazer combo to blend in with the other suits in the building. They approached the reception desk and Root flashed a friendly smile at the receptionist.

“Veronica Sinclair and Carmen Reed here for Mr. Osborne, please.”

The receptionist pulled up the calendar on the monitor in front of her.

“Yes, of course. Mr. Osborne is ready to see you now.” The receptionist printed out two visitor badges and handed them to Root. “These will get you up to the 26th floor,” she said, smiling politely.

“Thanks,” Root replied, taking the badges and handing one to Shaw.

They walk over to the elevator bank and pressed the button to call the elevator.

“How long till they get here?” Shaw asked.

“She says twelve minutes, give or take.”

“How many?”

“Six.”

“Popular guy,” Shaw noted.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped in, swiping their visitor badges through the scanner and pushing the button for the 26th floor.

Root looked over and reached out to adjust Shaw’s glasses, which were sitting crookedly on her nose.

“There.” She took a step back to admire Shaw in her professional attire. “I’m really digging this businesswoman look,” Root said with a grin.

Shaw rolled her eyes. “You say that about all my outfits.”

“I’m just being honest.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the 26th floor before Shaw could think of a retort.

Richard Osborne, the number that they were sent to protect, stood up from his desk to greet them. “Ah, you must be Ms. Sinclair and Ms. Reed from Spark Magazine. I assume you’re here to interview me about the unprecedented spike in our market shares after the unveiling of our new tech-“

“Sorry, Richard - no time for niceties. Your business partner has taken out a hit on you so that he could get take over the majority shares of your company and full control of your new proprietary technology. There are half a dozen armed and dangerous guys heading here right now, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to call in sick for the rest of the day - maybe even the rest of the week - just to be safe,” Root said, walking around Osborne and picking up the trash can by his desk. She turned the trashcan upside down and dumped out all the contents onto the desk, taking the empty trash bag, crumpling it up and stuffing it into her purse.

“What the- is this some kind of joke? Do you know who I am? I’m not going anywhere with you! I could have you both thrown in jail within the hour! I’m calling security right now!”

Just then, the building alarm started to sound and the voice of the receptionist came through the speakers on Osborne’s desk.

“M-Mr. Osborne, there is a group of heavily armed men who have just forced their way into the building. They’ve incapacitated the security team and are on their way up the elevator right now!”

Shaw rolled her eyes and took out her gun, loading it. “Believe us now? Come with us if you want to live.”

Osborne looked back and forth between the two women, considering his options.

“Root, can you just taser him or something? We don’t have time for this,” Shaw growled.

Osborne threw his hands up. “Alright. Fine. I’ll go with you.”

They rush into the elevator and pushed the button to get into the underground parking level.

“Car keys, Dick,” Shaw commanded, holding out her hand.

Osborne dug into his pocket and fished out the key and remote, placing them her palm. “Actually, I prefer to be called Richard-”

Shaw glared at Osborne and he wisely stopped talking.

Root smiled and looked at Osborne. “Isn’t she the best?”

Osborne stared at her in stunned silence.

They reach the parkade level and rushed out of the elevator, following Osborne to his car. They stopped at a brand new Nissan GTR. Shaw raised an impressed eyebrow.

“Nice.”

“There they are! Shoot ‘em!” A team of guys in suits came rushing out of the elevator with their guns raised and poised to shoot.

“Get in the car, now!” Shaw shouted, as Root opened the trunk and shoved Osborne inside.

“Hey!” Osborne shouted but was cut off when Root slammed the trunk shut. She ran to the front passenger door and slid in while Shaw pressed the button to turn the engine on.

BANG! BANG!

Multiple shots rang out and hit the side of the car as the hitmen got closer.

Shaw quickly put the car into gear and slammed on the gas, propelling the car forward towards the parkade exit. The hitmen continued shooting at the car, but were unable to get a good shot as Shaw sped out of the parkade.

“Take the freeway; we’ve got at least a six minute lead on them,” Root said, relaying the directions from the Machine.

They continued on for a while weaving in between the other cars, following the cues from the Machine, with the team of hitmen still hot on their trail.

“Take the next exit,” Root said.

Shaw looked up at the Exit sign. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Root smirked. “She never kids, Sameen. Stay the course. She always has a plan.”

“This better be a fucking spectacular plan,” Shaw grumbled as she steered off the freeway onto the exit ramp.

....

Shaw rolled down the window as they pulled up to the ticket booth.

“Hi! Welcome to Disneyland! Do you have an annual pass?”

“Do I look like I have an ann-“ Shaw stopped as Root elbowed her in the ribs. “No. I do not.”

“Alright, well that will be twenty-five dollars, then.” The toll booth operator said in a chirpy voice.

Root leaned over Shaw’s lap and handed the operator a credit card.

“Courtesy of Richard,” she said, as the operator swiped the card and handed it back to Root.

“You can park in the Mickey and Friends parking lot. There’s a tram there that will take you from the parking lot to the entrance. Have a magical day!”

Shaw wordlessly rolled up the window while simultaneously rolling her eyes.

They quickly found a parking spot and pulled in. They got out of the car and Root opened the trunk to find a flustered Osborne.

“You shoved me into the trunk! They shot at my car! I could have been killed!”

“Sorry, Richard. Your car is a two-seater, and I had to navigate.” She looked at the bullet holes on the back of car. “At least none of them hit you,” she said with a shrug.

After pulling Osborne out of the trunk, they headed towards the trams.

“Stay close, Richard. We’re not safe yet. Your partner’s team of hired killers have followed us here,” Root said calmly as they climbed onto the tram. “It looks like they’re tracking us somehow.” Root turned to Osborne. “Did your partner give you anything recently - a gift of some sort? A tie, pen, watch?”

Osborne pulled back his sleeve to reveal a brand new Rolex. “He gave me this watch the other day for my birthday. Hey! What’re you-“

Root unclipped the watch from Osborne’s wrist and threw it into the bushes as the tram took them towards the main entrance of the park.

“That was an eighty thousand dollar watch!” Osborne yelled, attempting to jump off the tram to fetch the watch. Shaw pulled him back and shoved him down onto the seat.

“Stay!” She growled at him. “Unless you want to die.” She looked up to find horrified expressions on the faces of the other people on the tram.

“Uh... this is-“

“Part of our new safety demonstration,” Root interrupted. “Don’t jump off the tram while it’s still moving, kids, or you might die.”

Silence.

“It...still needs a bit of work.” Root smiled sweetly at the horrified parents and their kids.

The tram finally came to a stop and they hopped off, the other tourists scrambling to distance themselves from the three crazy people in suits.

“We have to blend in or they’ll find us within minutes,” Shaw said, looking around.

They went up to the ticket booth and bought three two-day hopper passes. Root handed one pass to Shaw and the other to Osborne.

“Where should we go first - Disneyland Park, or California Adventure?”

“Root, you do realize that this is not an actual vacation, right? We’re trying to save Dick here from his rich homicidal partner.”

“It’s Richard-“

“Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves while we’re at it, Sameen. Let’s go to Disneyland Park. That’s where all the magic started,” Root said with a smile.

Shaw looked at the bag checking station just in front of the gates. “Crap. We can’t bring our guns in. They won’t let us past the gates.”

“I’ve got that handled,” Root said. She pulled out the crumpled trash bag that she took from Osborne’s office and put her guns inside, then held out her hand to Shaw.

Shaw hesitated, then discretely handed her gun to Root to place into the trash bag. Root walked over to the garbage container a few feet away from them and deposited the trash bag inside.

“Root- what are you doing?!? That’s my favourite gun!” Shaw exclaimed, rushing towards the garbage container.

Root stepped in front of her to stop her. “Trust me, Sameen.”

Just then, a custodian wearing coveralls with ‘Thornhill Industries Waste Management’ written across the back walked by and collected the bag from the garbage container. He looked over and tipped his hat at Root.

“See? She always has a plan.”

“Who always has a plan?” Osborne turned to Shaw. “Who is she talking to?”

“It’s better if you don’t ask,” Shaw said, shaking her head.

They got through security and entered through the front gates of the park. They were greeted almost immediately by the smell of popcorn, cotton candy, vanilla waffles, and churros. Instrumental versions of classic Disney songs poured out of the speakers everywhere they walked, giving the place a magical vibe.

“First thing’s first - we need to blend in somehow,” Shaw said, walking quickly through the crowds.

“Quick - in here!” Root said, darting into one of the gift shops on Main Street.

....

Shaw looked at herself, dressed from head to toe in an Indiana Jones costume - complete with a fedora and whip.

“ _This_ is how we’re supposed to blend in?” she asked incredulously.

“No one would suspect us in these costumes,” Root replied, swaying back and forth in her Captain Jack Sparrow getup. “They’re more likely to go after the popular ones, like Mickey and Minnie.”

“Wait, what’s Dick wearing, then?” Shaw asked, looking around for their number.

“I can’t believe I’m wearing this,” Osborne muttered as he stepped out of the dressing room.

Shaw snickered as she looked at his get-up. He was wearing khaki shorts that ended midway down his thigh and a top-tight t-shirt with the word ‘Dopey’ scrawled across it and featuring the face of the dwarf himself.

“Half an hour ago I was wearing a tailored Tom Ford suit - now I look like someone’s dad.”

“You’re not gonna be _anyone’s_ dad, with how tight those shorts are,” Shaw joked.

Root chuckled, but paused as the Machine whispered more information into her ear.

“They’ve gotten past the gates. We need to find somewhere to hide. Follow me,” she directed, leading the way out of the gift store.

They made their way through the crowd of people and into Fantasyland, headed towards the back of the park.

“Root - are we going where I think we’re going?” Shaw grumbled.

“Where do you think we’re going? What’s going on here?” Osborne demanded.

“Relax, Richard. We need to hide you somewhere for the time being while we take care of these goons who are trying to hunt you down. This happens to be the perfect place - it’s dark, conspicuous, and there’s no lineup,” Root assured him.

Shaw groaned as they got into the boat and the all too familiar song drifted out to greet their ears:

_It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears, it’s a world of hope and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware..._

“Oh _god_ , no,” Shaw mumbled.

_It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all, it’s a small, small world._

“Wait,” Osborne said, “you said that you needed to hide _me_ somewhere while _you_ two take care of the hitmen. Does that mean...”

“I’m afraid so, Richard,” Root said as she tased him.

....

“I’m not trying to question your methods, Root, but maybe we should have tased him _after_ we got off the boat,” Shaw said, dragging the unconscious Osborne behind a group of singing animatronic dolls.

“Well, that was the original plan, but he caught on, so I had to improvise a little,” Root said with a shrug.

They had hopped off the boat and hoisted Osborne onto one of the platforms in the ride. They duct taped his mouth shut and ziptied his hands and feet so that he couldn’t get away and detract attention. Of course, once they hopped off the boat the ride stopped, and they had a limited time to hide Osborne’s unconscious form before the staff came to investigate. Thanks to the Machine, the camera feeds were momentarily blacked out so that they didn’t capture any footage of them hiding the body.

After they successfully hid Osborne behind a bunch of hula dancing animatronic dolls, Root and Shaw hopped back onto the boat, just as the ride operators reached them.

“Follow my lead,” Root whispered, right before she pulled Shaw into a heated kiss.

“Excuse me! What’s going on...oh”

Shaw had to tear herself away from Root’s lips and look up innocently at the Disneyland cast member who had just arrived.

“We’re so sorry, we got caught up in the moment and fell over the side of the boat, but we’re back in and everything is good now,” Root assured the flustered cast member.

The cast member, who looked not a day older than 18, stammered as he addressed the Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow who were getting hot and heavy on the Small World ride. “Oh, uh, it’s okay,” he said, “it’s just that this is a family place, and if you guys could uh, tone it down a bit?”

“Will do!” Root said with a wide grin.

“Thank you. Enjoy your rest of your day!” The cast member said, waving and awkwardly walking away.

“This was probably the worst ride that you could have chosen to hide him in,” Shaw mumbled as they sat in the boat and waited for the ride to finish. “Couldn’t you have chosen one where we didn’t have to jump into waist deep water to hide our number?”

“You know how I like to make you wet, Sameen,” Root winked at Shaw.

“Don’t make me push you out of this boat,” Shaw threatened.

“Oh that would get me _soaked_.”

“Root...”

“Oh don’t be so grumpy, Sam. We’re in the happiest place on earth, remember?”

“Don’t remind me.”

....

After they finally got out of the ride, Root and Shaw headed towards Adventureland at the Machine’s direction. There, they spotted the team of assassins who have clearly spread out, but also have clearly not blended in well enough.

“Alright, remember what I taught you - use their momentum against them. Technique will win against size,” Shaw said, unwinding her whip from its holster.

Root nodded in confirmation. “And try not to lose that whip, sweetie. We can make use of it later.”

Shaw rolled her eyes but made a mental note to keep the outfit and the whip after the mission was over.

“Hey bad guys!” Shaw shouted at the suited hitmen, “We’ve got Osborne with us over here!” Once they caught the attention of the six large men, they both turned around and ran toward the entrance of the Indiana Jones ride.

The crowd around the ride started to clear a path, believing the pursuit to be part of a live show. Shaw turned around and cracked her whip at one of the men, the whip wrapping around his feet and tripping him, causing him to fall face-first onto the ground with a loud thud and knocking him out cold. The crowd ‘ohhed’ and cheered on the spectacle. Root ran to the unconscious man and quickly ziptied his hands behind his back.

Another guy charged at Root and she quickly jumped out of the way, leaping onto his back and putting him into a tight choke hold. He was unconscious within seconds and crumpled to the ground. Root quickly ziptied his hands and feet together.

“Watch out behind you, Indy!” A kid shouted, and Shaw ducked - just avoiding a right hook from a third guy. She sprung up and connected her fist with his jaw in an uppercut, sending him stumbling backwards. Shaw used the opportunity while he was in his dazed state to hit him upside the head with a roundhouse kick. “Yeah! Knock out!” The kid shouted excitedly.

Shaw looked over and saluted the kid. “Thanks, kid!”

Root quickly ziptied the guy and they sprinted down towards New Orleans Square where the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was, the three remaining hitmen and the crowd of people running after them, eager to see how the show was going to end.

Root grabbed the tail end of Shaw’s whip and they separated, holding the whip taut and running towards one of the guys, sweeping his legs from under him. Root released her hold on the whip and stuck her lipstick taser into the guy’s neck, zapping him unconscious. They turned around to take down the two remaining guys.

Root squared of against her guy, but was having a difficult time doing any damage to him. He was a lot bigger and towered over her. She wouldn’t be able to tase him easily from where she was standing. He charged foward and managed to land a punch to Root’s stomach, knocking the wind out of her and dropping her to her knees.

“Root!” Shaw shouted, preoccupied with fighting her guy, “Remember! Technique over size!”

Root nodded, still wheezing from the lack of air in her lungs, but the guy was poised to strike again, and she had to think fast.

As the guy rushed towards her, Root delivered a devastating punch right to his groin, stopping him in his tracks and causing him to shriek in pain. The audience collectively cringed as he cupped his tender bits and bent over. Now at the right level, Root jammed her taser into his neck and he dropped to the ground.

Shaw glanced over at Root. “Okay, not exactly the kind of technique that I meant, but I guess it worked.” Root grinned and winked at Shaw.

Shaw turned back and focused on her guy. She quickly ducked in and swiftly punched him in the kidney, causing him to double over in pain. While he was still groaning, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled it down to connect with her knee with a sickening crunch, knocking him unconscious.

The audience erupted in applause, reminding Root and Shaw that they needed to somehow play this off as a performance of some sort.

“What do we do?” Shaw asked Root out of the side of her mouth.

“Just smile and take a bow,” Root whispered back. “The Machine is sending a clean up crew.”

Root grabbed Shaw’s hand and they both awkwardly took a bow.

The crowd dispersed, and after a few minutes, a group of six people came by with wheelchairs, loaded the unconscious henchmen onto them, and wheeled them away quickly and efficiently.

Shaw turned to Root. “Alright, mission accomplished - let’s go.” She started making her way back to the gates.

“Sam - wait!” Root protested, grabbing Shaw’s arm and tugging her back.

“We still have most of the day left, and well...I’ve never been to Disneyland, so-“

“Wait, you’ve never been to Disneyland?”

“No. We could never afford to go when I was a kid.”

Shaw sighed. “Alright, fine. But we’re changing outta these costumes. It’s hot as hell outside and I’m not spending the rest of the day dying of heat exhaustion.”

Root smiled. “We’ll get a change of clothes and safely stow away that Indiana Jones costume - for later.”

....

“Okay, give me that Indiana Jones costume back - I’ll risk the heat exhaustion,” Shaw grumbled as she came out of the dressing room in shorts and a t-shirt with Grumpy the dwarf on it.

“Oh Sameen, that looks adorable on you!” Root gushed. She was wearing a pair of short shorts that showed off her long slender legs and a t-shirt with a picture of Goofy on it. “Besides, you can’t wear the Indy costume again for the rest of the day or we’ll attract attention - unless you want to have a bunch of kids come up to you asking for your autograph for beating up those bad guys.”

Shaw growled. “Fine. I’ll wear this. But only because of what’s written on the back. Shaw grinned and turned around to show Root the words ‘I’m with Goofy’ scrawled across the back of her shirt.

“Awwwwww, we match!” Root said, turning around and showing Shaw the words ‘I’m with Grumpy’ written on the back of hers.

Shaw’s grin turned back into a scowl.

“And now your face matches your shirt!” Root cooed.

“Ugh, shut up Root. I’m hungry - let’s go find something to eat before I show you what grumpy _actually_ looks like.”

....

They stopped at a corn dog stand and bought four - three for Shaw and one for Root.

“Mmmmm, I haven’t had these in forever!” Root said as she bit into to her corn dog.

“When we’re finished with these, it’s time for dessert - they’ve got great churros here, and THE best soft serve ice cream,” Shaw mumbled around a mouthful of food.

“I can’t wait to try it, Sameen.” Root said, beaming at Shaw.

....

They grabbed a couple of churros before getting on Splash Mountain.

Root squealed with delight as they descended the big drop near the end of the ride. After they got off, Root dragged Shaw to the monitors that displayed the photos taken during the drop. Shaw usually never cared to look at the photos, but the unabashed joy on Root’s face made a tiny smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

They rode Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and Space Mountain, then headed to the California Adventure Park for some soft serve ice cream.

“This really is the best soft serve ice cream I’ve ever had, Sameen!” Root proclaimed.

“Mmhmm,” Shaw agreed, polishing off the rest of her own cone.

After she finished, Root leaned in and kissed Shaw softly, sighing contentedly into the kiss. “Thank you for a wonderful day at Disneyland.”

“It’s not over,” Shaw replied, “you haven’t experienced California Screamin’ yet.”

After three times on California Screamin’, two times on the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride, and one extremely splashy time on the Grizzly Bear River Run, the sun was starting to set. They headed back to Disneyland Park to watch _Fantasmic_.

“Now this is my favourite part,” Shaw said as they sat down in front of the waters of the Rivers of America. “The first time I ever saw this show was in 1992 when my parents took me here. It’s changed a bit since then, but it’s essentially still the same show.”

And sure enough, it was. The show had obviously been updated over the last two decades, but the sense of action, adventure, and wonder were all still very present.

After the show, they called to check in with Harold.

“Ms. Groves, I trust you and Ms. Shaw had a successful mission?”

“Couldn’t have gone any better, Harry.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. Mr. Reese and Detective Fusco have tracked down Mr. Osborne’s business partner and he has now been detained and charged on counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. I trust Mr. Osborne is well?”

“Uhhh...”

“Oh no, what is it? Did Ms. Shaw shoot him? I was afraid that this would happen-“

“Calm down, Finch. I didn’t shoot him,” Shaw said. “That's not to say that I didn’t want to. We just...forgot about him. For a few hours. In the Small World ride.”

“Oh dear!”

“Stop worryin’, Finch. We’re going back to get him now,” Shaw said as they headed back to find Osborne.

“He’ll be fine, Harry,” Root added. “...after a few weeks.”


End file.
